Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-17

satisfy the gentleman better. as il was
humble and republican enough. while the
goshnSs would serve for the subsidiary
pieces This reply made much fun and SO
irritated the southerner that he CHALLENGES
the Judge to light duel The Judge de-
Ginning the challenge. its bearer asked If
ne was content to be branded as a coward
certainly, if he pleases" responded
Thatcher. Il always was one and he knew
lenge.''
80 late as 1925 the crime of embezzIing
any or the coiEs struck at the mint or anv
of the metals brought thither to be coined
Dy any or the officers of the establishment
was punishable by death The same men
ATTY was attached TO the offense of debas-
ing any of the coins issued. In the weigh
irg room of this institution S1.5o0 600 1oo
worth or gold has been weighed Formerly
the silver used by The mint was mostly on
I;llned from South America and Mexico. but
now the supply comes from Colorado ami
elsewhere in the west. The conner is de-
rived mainly from the mines of Lake Sn-
perior, and the finest is from Minnesota.
-nost oi the nickel is dug in Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania.
The Primitive Method
The primitive method of coming money
was by casting the piece in SAND. the a.
sign being afterward imprinted upon it by
means of a hammer and punch. In me.
diaeval times the process adopted was that
Of hammering metal into sheets of the de,
sired thickness, cutting the planchets out
with shears, and then stamping them by
hand. The first steam colning press was
invented in 1893
In various ages almost everything imasfn-
able has been used as money-soap in Mex
leo. sugar in the West Indies, goldfish IN
Newfoundland. bullets i'm Massachusetts
IogWood IN Campeachy, tobacco in the early
settlements of Virginia, salt in Abyssinia,
Dicks OF tea in Tartary, silk in
China, nails in Scotland, lead in
Burmah, platinum in Russia, iron
In sparta. and tin in ancient Britain. The
Oldest coins now extant were made 500 b.
= IL Is asserted that no head of human
peihS was ever stamped on a coin until the
eHigy OF Alexander the Great was thus
used. he was so anxious as to how people
OF the future should consider his physical
beauty that he would permit only three ar
tists during his reign to make his portrait.
ne uecreed that no one should represent
MN on gems but Pyrgoteles. no one should
paint him but Apelles. and no one should
stamp his face on coins but Lysippus.
Value of Coins.
Ii as stated by George @. Evans to
whose work on the Philadelphia mint the
writer was indebted, that the following
American coins are all rare and command
premiums when in good state of preser-
walton: Cents of all years from 1898 10
1900; also of 1904. 1906. 1s0s. 1909, 1911. 1sls
and 1876. That of 1893 is worth S. The
valuable half cents are those of all years
from 1913 to lsO2; also those of 1906. 1910.
1911, 1881, 1886, 1910 TO IS4S and 1852 The
valuable silver dollars are those of 1874.
1904. 1888. 1889 1851, 1852 and 1853 The
valuable half dollars are those of 1884. 1896.
if9i. The valuable quarter dollars are those
of 1873 and 1872, a specimen of the latter
being worth so. The most valuable dime
is that of 1904. being worth $3.50. The half
dime of 1S02 is worth $40. The 5-cent and
scent nickels of 1877 are worth 80 cents
apiece. The valuable gold eagles are those
of 1875 to 179S. The rare half eagles are
those of 1875 to 119S; also those of 1915.
1919, 1S22, 1894 to 1899, and 1881.
The mania for collecting coins is a dan
gerous one, so great a hold does il get on
its victims. Sometimes they become misers
and accumulate fortunes in rare pieces,
while living in the utmost perjury and
eventually dying in want