San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-09-18
COIN AND COINAGE.
Compiled for the Globe Democrat

} The coins issued by the Byzan-
tine Empire form, during 1000
years, the connecting link between
ancient and modern coinage. ~
One of the early Washington
coins bears the legand, "Washing-
ton the Great, d. c. Only two
specimens are known to exist.
The first purchase Of copper for
the United States Mint was on Sep
TENDER II, 1892, and comprised 6
pounds of old copper utensils.
Before the French Revolution the
Austrin monarchy had a distinct
coinage for each of its principal dis
tricts or political divisions.
The first silver coins made at the
United States Mint were turned
over to the Treasurer on October
| IS, 1894, and amounted to SI75S.
The old English pound sterling
was derived from the weight of T.
$50 grains of sound wheat from the
middle of the ear and we'll dried.
The colony of Pennsylvania suf-
fered greatly from a debased copper
coinage made in Birmingham, Eng
land, and imported to this country.
Roman colonial coins bore a |
number of banners corresponding
to the number Of legion whose vet
Grams had occupied the country.
The mint mentioned in the Gospel
in connection with the widow con-
tribution to the treasury, was a |
Greek copper coin weighing IS
grains.
The Indians of the Ohio Valley
made coins of anthracite coal. |
These tokens were always engrav-
ed with figures supposed to indi-
cate the value.
Terra Gotta coins have been found
not only in the American tumuli,
but also in the graves of the Etrus-
cans, and even Egyptian tombs.
The first European coinage was
issued by Pheidon, King Of Argos,
who coined copper and silver. The
best authorities place his regin
at B. c. 783.
No representation Of a face of a !
man was ever stamped on a coin
until after the death of Alexander
the Great, who was regarded as a |
divinity.
The first deposit of gold in the
United States Mint was made by |
Moses Brown, a Boston merchant. |
1t was com posed of gold bars valued
at S2279.22.
The piece of money taken by |
Peter from the mouth of the fish in |
order to pay the Government poll
tax, was an imperial slater Of sill
yer, and worth about 25c.
The earliest New England coin
was soon so badly Clipped and
mutilated that a new issue was
Struck bearing the name Massachu-
sets on the diverse near the rim.
The first deposit of silver bullion
in the Mint of the United States
was made July IS, 1904, by the
Bank of Maryland. 1t consisted of |
French coins valued at $50,
The shell coins used by the In
dams were manufactured in such
enormous quantities by the Dutch
at New York. that the value of the
currency was greatly deprecated.
Gold coins of Alexander the
Great are very numerous, they have
been seen in circulation in Greece
in the present century. The Alex
andrlan Slater is worth about Sc.
In 1852 a mint was set up at Bos-
ton with John Hull, master. The
pieces coined were to be "for torme,
t1att and square, of the denomina-
ton of ~, 6 and 3-penny pieces.'
The first coins, as the term is
now understood, were made by
clipping the edges of a bit of gold
until it was nearly round and then
stamping it with a punch and ham,
mer.
The first gold coins made by the
United States Mint were finished
| TulY II, I7os. and consisted of ~