The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-22

Der of Cents and Niokeis Used
"Chink. chink, chink, chink, slide"
The sound Is made Infinitely quicker
than IL takes TO write or speak the words.
II Is heard In the minor coin department.
In the treasury building, where all day
long the ohink, chink, chink Of nickels
and pennies is sounded as they are counted,
weighed and tied securely into bags ready
for the calls for small coin that are con-
stantly coming In.
"There really are no pennies, said X.
@. Half, chief of the department, 20 an In
terested visitor the other day Pennies
are English coins, and we have cents, but
common usage has made the word ours,
and we seldom say anything else. We have
three men who do nothing but count PEN
nIes all day from 9 o'clock In the morning
until O'Clock in the afternoon, stopping
half an hour for luncheon.
"There are five counters kept constantly
busy, the work varying little according
70 the proportion of pennies and nickels
brought In during the day. II takes three
minutes TO count l, 900 coins. The pennies
are put up In bags containing $40 each.
The same number of nickels is also put in
TO a bag. The whole process takes five
minutes, including cutting the string to
the old bag, counting and putting the
coins into the now one, tying that and
fastening on tag giving the amount and
the counters initials, which is necessary
in case of error, which IL in this way traced
back TO It's proper source.
"You seo," SAID Mr.. Half, "the man
takes two coins at each count. That is
quicker than taking one and easier than
three or four He counts one for every two
PENNIES dropped into his hand, so that
when he has counted 100 he has 200 pen
nies. or az. The counting IL not done with
the lips. 1t would not be possible TO move
them quickly enough to keep up with the
rapid movement OF the fingers.
"When man begins counting, he can
count ten bags a day, or ten times 200
coins. BY the time he has had six months
experience he can count 80 bags "a day.
1.-THE white pennies, mashed or mutt
lated coin, or even those that are soiled or
corroded, arc thrown aside and sent off TO
be melted over The idea Is to keep AS
clean money as possible in circulation.
When the count of each bag is concluded,
the mutilated coins thrown out must be
replaced by good ones. This does not In
clude plugged, counterfeit or foreign coins.
These are returned to the senders TO be
made good
There is a greater demand for pennies
than for nickels This Is owing largely To
this catchpenpy business, charging 40
cents instead OF 30 cents, etc. One large
dry goods firm up town which sells great
many small wares gets in regularly about
$500 in pennies day for making change.
The firms bankers come here about once
In two months and take away $4,000 in
pennies, which they Keep In their vault
and hand out to this ono firm as they are
needed.
"Other dry goods houses come here di-
rectly for their pennies, which they use In
quantities Of from $500 to $500 week.
"There Is $50 in pennies that has just
come In from an ice cream firm, waiting
To be counted One days record Of our
work shows SO, 069 taken in in pennies and
81. $50 In nickels We seldom take in less
than 81 900. We receive great many
nickcls from the elevated roads. Yesterday
they brought in S16, 600 in cent pieces to
be exchanged, and last Friday they brought
I'm S33, 900 In the same way. They como In
every day. 1t shows the number Of niokels
I'm circulation on the road when you think
of the quantity also given out IN OK
change"
Mr.. Half was not idle as he talked, and
q continuous string of callers at the httle
window at the front of the department re-
ceived pennies and nickels in varying
amounts.
"You see, people are willing to give
| gold for copper 4" no said as he dropped a
gold SEQ piece into the box and handed
out two bags of pennies. .
| ooh, yes; people bring very small sums
to DO redeemed. / have had brought in a
black cent piece, and the person bring
| ing it had come from away up town. Pos
sibly he had some other orrand besides. A
great many people think because tho
money is old we will give more than Its
face value. People have heard that the
| pennies Of 1890 were mixed with gold and
expect to get price on them greater than
their original valuation. One man told
mo that ne had a penny of that date as
sayed, and IL was worth 6i cents. They
think the 5 cent pieces on which the wore
cents was omitted should bring more
money. 1t is tho same way with fractiona
currency.
"There; that was case in question
That man had some old scrip, ana h'
wouldn't believe me when told him 4
was not worth more than its face value
He has gone of to inquire.
"It is estimated that there is sl5, ,OO0, OO'
small scrip unredeemed. Probably $4,000,
900 of Il has been destroyed. Here come
that man back.
"He has gone off again 90 count hi
money. There is Sl3. so. i counted
carefully, but no was not satisfied. "
Then for third timo the stranger ap
peared and departed for good with his ul
to date coins.
1.-The brokers those people go TO- " con
tiDued Mr.. Half, will only give them y
per cent of the face value Of their currency
They bring 1t to us and expect To make
little something for their trouble. Man
people arc annoyed because we will not re
deem mutilated coins. II is governmen
money, thoy say, and the governmen
should be responsible for 1t. But when tn
government makes IL a punishable ohons
30 mutilato coin 1t Is not going To CIV
good money Tor IL. New York Times.
Thu Nnro Tunnnn,