Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
COINS PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE.
The Acting Birecsor of the Mint Talks With
">tar" Reporter About Them.

IF the director of the mint IL correctly
quoted by the newspapers having said that
the silver half dollar il unpopular coin DO
not coincide in the opinion" said Acting D1-
rector Preston 10 a STAR reporter this morning.
1T is true that about 100000 900 worth Of
these coins are at present stored away In Uncle
Sans Golfers in various parts OF the country,
for the reason that they are not wanted for cir
eulation, aud therefore it il that Mr.. Leech has
had offered in Congress a bill 10 the effect that
all this great mars of useless silver shall be
coined into the shape of dimes and quarters.
But the trouble is not that the half dollar il
unpopular. but that people find convenient
employment for quarters and dimes 20 greater
extent than the present supply provides for.
IL Is not that there are too many half dollars,
but that there too few of the smaller pieces.
You can easily take notice from the manner IN
which you cXpeud your money that il is
for a purpose comparatively exceptional that il
If most convenient to pay half dollar III .
lump. Ii Won want To buy cigar. a glnss OF
beer. a cheap lunch. newspaper. or anything
else In the ordinary run of daily purchases,
you can pay most readily with small coins
The silver dollar is certainly unpopular"
"Cnquestionabiy that is in the east. The
western farmer, however, entertains no such
prejudice in their regard. He wants all u
them he can get. The most unpopular silver
coin ever issued was the 20-cent piece. Its
coinage was stopped some wears ago. As far
back az 1873 two other silver pieces were de-
cided to Ice nuisance that Congress de-
clared that they should not be minted any
longer. Those were the silver Scent and Scent
coins. At the same time the bronze 2-cent
piece abolished. Within a few months. as
you remember. three more unpopular coins
have been abolished by law-the Scent nickel,
the one-dollar gold piece and the three-dolar
gold piece. 40 You that quite a number OF
coins have been discontinued in this country
because they really were unpopular"
Can YOU suggest any further improvements
which might be made in our COINAGE
The only suggestion can think Of is that We
might have a 2-cent piece. think that IL would
often be more convenient 10 paw for a thing.
like newspaper, with single coin than with
two. When the old bronze piece of that de-
nomination wiped out We had Scent
postage. IL postage stamp then had cost
cents probably il would not have gone. A
2-cent coin for the purpose of a postage stamp
would be well enough TO have. i should like
TO zee q silver dollar intrinsically worth a gold
dollar but that will not come about until free
coinage il established. There are plenty of adj
vocates of fractional paper currency. but 4 do
not believe in il. Money i'm that shape does
not last so long in the form of coins. for one
reason. OF the old issues Of such currency
S16. 900 600 still remains outstanding. consid-
cradle part of il having been destroyed one way
or another. This represents just much loss
10 the people, though obviously IL is q gain 10
the government.