The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1891-10-03
The New Silver Designs.


1T Is not likely that another co1npe-
titior will ever he tried for the produc-
ton otdesigns for United States coins"
said Assistant Director Of the Mint Pres
ton. "The n just ended was toe
wretched a failure. Doubtless it was
the first contest of the sort ever opened
by any government to the public at
large. The result is not very fiattering
to the boosted artistic development of
this country, inasmuch as only two Of
the 300 suggestions submitted were good
enough to receive honorable mention.
So the affair has been handed over to the
engraving force Of the Philadelphia
mint, which will produce the dies re-
CURED according to such patterns as its
own sense of the beautiful suggests"
The designs for Uncle Sann's coins
hitherto have been produced at the
money making establishment at PhiIa-
delphia, where the dies for all the minis
are turned out. Anticipating a severe
popular criticism, the chief engraver
will do his utmost to render the FIVE
cameo pictures called for as uneXcep-
tional as possible, esthetically speaking.
There must be Il substitute OF some kind,
representing Liberty, for the schoolmar1n
on the dollar, the reverse Of which re-
quires a better type Of bird than the
present buzzard.
Alsothe unprepossessing female, seated
upon a cotton bale, is to be removed
from the half dollar, quarter and dime.
Plaster casts of the patterns evolved will
be submitted for approval to the director
Of the mint and the secretary Of the
treasury, and as soon as they have been
pronounced satisfactory dies will be
made and small change Of new and love-
ly mold will thereafter jingle in the
pockets of the people.
No alteration is to be made in the gold
coins, because they are really exquisite
now, and could hardly be improved upon.
1t is realized that the money Of a nation
is expressive of its art culture. There
fore, lest posterity imagine the present
generation to have been ~barbarous, it is
desirable that our silver pieces should be
as handsome as may be.-Washington
Letter.
The Safe the Kaiser Took with Him.
Those who saw the emperor's luggage
brought ashore at Port Victoria Will re-
member the iron safe which formed part
of it. IN this safe was the large collec-
ton of jeweled snuff boxes, silver ciga-
rette cases, diamond breastpins, signet
rings, etc, which the kaiser brought
with him for distribution among the
members Of the queens household and
many other officials with whom he was
brought III contact during his visit.
These assorted gifts, which have been
cased up by the emperor during the past
two years literally by the gross, have
now been duly distributed, and have
probably-for such is HUMAN nature
caused more heartburning and disap-
pointment than delight.
Large as the stock was, it did not
prove quite large enough, and several
members Of the kaiser's suite were en-
gagged for some time at the West End in
buying q further assortment Of trinkets
to serve as presents from the kaiser.
The German Orders which the latter has
distributed were brought over in a sep
arate case, and in a quantity which re-
calls the incident of the Russian baron
in "'Ninicha. "-London Figaro.