Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-01
BUT F EW COINS SOLD,
Souvenir Half Dollars Never in Very Popu-
lar Demand.
Those That Are Not Disposed of VIII
BE Returned to Washington
and Destroyed.
From the Chicago Evening Post.

From the Chicago Evening Post.
II any one who has not Columbian SOU
venir half dollar or an Isabella quarter
wants to secure one he had better be quick
about it or he will lose the last chance.
The Isabella quarters, 10000 of them, which
were coined by the government for the
beard of lady managers, are nearly all sold
and the rest are going fast. Nearly all that
are left of the Columbian half dollars-and
that is a considerable number-will soon he
sent back to the minis to be coined irto
ordinary 50-cent pieces or anything else the
government decides to make of them.
Those Columbian half dollars have been
great disappointment to the fnanciers Of
the exposition. Congress at one time en-
acted a measure appropriating 100000 of
them-or $500, 0O0-to the exposition, end
the exposition expected to realize profit
of s25OO,O0O by selling them all at dollar
each. Later Congress called back more
than a million of the coins and those that
were received in Chicago did not meet a
ready sale after the first two months. The
exposition received just 3,S5S,2i0 of the coins.
Only 1.022, AS Of them had been sold up to
October 16, when Treasurer Seeberger made
his latest reckoning. Consequently there
are 2, $50, 795 of them left, and on that amount
the exposition is minus $i,4i7,S97.50 of eX-
pected profit. AS a result of the failure OF
visitors to purchase these souvenirs as II
was expected they would the exposition
company has realized from the coins but
little more than the bare amount of the
diminished congressional appropriation
81, gig, l2O. But it so happened this summer
that not a great many people had dollars
which they cared to give up for souvenir
50-cent pieces, and the exposition is the
loser.
The Middle i'm Congress.
Congress was first asked by the Column
bian exposition for loan of $5,0OO.OOO. Sub
sequently that request for loan was
changed to a request for a gift of the same
amount. Congress once agreed to give half
the amount asked for and also provided that
the gift should be in the form of these SOU
venir half dollars. That was all right, the
managers of the exposition thought. They
could sell those 100000 souvenir half dollars
for each and realize the 100000 on an
appropriation of half that amount.
Then along came the national commission
committee on awards and asked Congress
for 81 each and realize the S,OO,0OO on an
readily gave it, but gave 1t out of the
S2,5OOUW already appropriated. That left
the directors with only 3,S5S,240 souvenir
coins, which, however. promised at first to
produce that many dollars. The first coin
out of the mint was sold in a queer sort of
fashion for $4,000 and everybody seemed
anxious to possess one of the others.
But this rush for coins did not last
Nearly all that have been sold were dis
posed of during the first two months and
since that time the sales have languiShed
The entire amount sold-all of them bring
ing 81 each-is only l,022, AS. Those that
be reconed to nave their souvenir va'ue
destroyed in order to protect those pur-
chasers who paid 81 for their coins.
Once Saved the Exposition.
These souvenirs have served very good
purpose. though, even If they have not
brought a dollar apiece. Al one time when
the exposition was threatened with the
poorhouse 100000 of them were placed in
the banks of Chicago as security for a
much-needed loan to the amount of their
face value. Then as money grew tighter
the banks wanted the coins redeemed. The
exposition could not redeem them and a
good proportion of the lot found their way
back to the United States treasury, where
the banks got their money and where the
coins still remain. All of them have been
redeemed by the exposition however, by
checks on a now growing bank account
OF the amount that remains $500, 900 SOU
venirS are to be recoined. 1t will cost the
exposition IL cents apiece, or $4,000, to
have this done. There are now about 100000
of these souvenirs about the exposition
grounds, $1,000 of them being in the model
of the treasury building in the administra-
tlOn ana ABOUT i,UVU IN the mOuel
of the Washington monument in manu-
features hall. 1t will require about 10000
coins added to those now in the hands of
the United States Treasury Department to
make up the 100000.
The profit of the exposition on the Column
bian souvenir half dollars has been there
'ore, only s5l1222.50 on the 1,022, 4l5 coins
sold, less a great deal of heavy express
charge. the cost of advertising, commissions
paid fer sales and the 1880 cost of re-
coming. This amount added to 1929 40,
the diminished appropriation, does not make
up the $2.500,0o0 which Congress at first
promised to give.
With the Isabella quarters it has been
different. The issue being limited to 40,0O,
these coins have found a fairly rapid sale.
The lady in the woman's building who has
charge of their sale said today that the
coins were going at the rate of about l50
a day, and that all would probably be taken
by the end of the fair. on an appropriation
of $4,000. therefore. the woman's board real
ICES four times that much with which to
start the memorial hall they are so anxious
to build.