Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-05-21
Art Designs on Our Metal
Money to be Improved.
THE FACES THEREON HOMELY
Treasury Not Satisfied With
the Decoration.
Boston Transcript.

" particularly homely; besides, it
l3oks to the right, while Liberty on the
dollar gazes toward the left Four
ydHrs ago Congress gave permission for
Altering all of the money of the realm,
with view to its artistic improve
mept. The half, quarter and dime
weNe the only ones touched, and the
result il not deemed happy.
I'm . dollar is open to change without
further authorization from Congress.
Its present design was adopted in 1878.
AT that time number of dollars in
different styles were struck by the
government, and specimens of them to-
day fetch high prices, being rare.
One of them was the so-called wash
lady dollars" which bore female
profile with an enormous head of hair
held together by nothing visible. There
were washlady halves and washlady
quarters ALSO The schoolgirl dollar''
of the same epoch exhibited youthful
profile with flowing hair held by a
ribbon. Only two Of these are extant,
and they are worth $50 each.
When the question of adopting new
design for a coin is being considered
number of experimental pieces are
in drawing or model, and. il it is
deemed sufficiently artistic and COM
plies with certain legal requirements, a
mint will reproduce it in the shape of
coin. Perhsps a dozen such coins
Will be turned out eXperimentally, few
OF each being stamped in metal.
These samples are placed in the hands
Of the members of the committees on
weights and measures in the Senate
and House, who choose the one they
like best with the advice of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury and the director
OF the mint The others are returned
to the Treasury.
The rejected ones are called pattern
pieces, or trial pieces" Formerly
the mint sold them to collectors over
IFS counter at set prices, which were
very high usually. Being hard to got,
they were very much sought after. For
the sake of cheapness, the dollars and
coins of higher denominations were
struck most commonly in base metal
Thus were made dollars, half eagles
eagles and double eagles of copper
platinum, brass, tin, aluminium and
various compositions. The Treasury
charged SEQ for four different half
dollars of 1861 in copper, composing
set, which bore the inscription Cod
Our Trust. ~
1t will be understood that such pat
tern pieces were not intended TO get
into circulation. They were merely
for collectors, who for gold eagle in
copper or in tin did not hesitate to
pay several times its weight in actual
gold. But they were not dealt with
fairly. Employees Of the mint turned
out copies Of the trial coins eurrepti-
tiously and flooded the market with
pieces for which the collectors were
paying big prices on the sole ground
that only few were supposed to be in
existence. This was done notably in
the case of the four copper half dollars
above referred to, set of which NAV
now be purchased for SS The govern
ment did not even take the trouble TO
investigate this outrage with view to
Furnishing the perpetrators.
ANY pattern piece in gold is very
rare and valuable to-day. because the
employees Of the mint could not
monkey with that metal; every penny
weight of it had to be accounted for.
On, the other hand, they had copper
and tin to burn Some trial coins at
present are scarce and precious in Ger
tam metals, while common and almost
valuelcss in others. 1t will be seen
that the collectors had good cause for
complaint in this matter; but the
injury did not stop there. Having
sold the pattern pieces at outrageous
prices, the government subsequently
declared taboo against them, and
threatened 10 Cenfiscate them Whenever
they were found in the possession OF
private individuals Under Mr.. CIevn-
land ilrst administration, Mr.. Kim
pail, then director Of the mint, seized
the collections Of II. l.. Linderman.
who himself had been director of tie
mint at an earlier period
Mr.. Kimball actually stopped tho sale
OF Mr. Lindcrman 8 collection. Az fhe
same time, he put stop to the selling
OF pattern pieces at the mint. and
issued a circular fnrbldGling all dealing
in such trial coins by collectors am
others. lie even went su far az Ia fic-
clare that all pieces Of inc kind found
IN the possession Of private intliyidunls
should be seized as Contraband whgrever
FOUND. lie was not able to carry the
matter quite SO far, however. Tbe
ground he took was that such coina of
base metals, many of them b.inp
exact reproductions Of higher dp
nominations as 10 form, might IL
sllded and passed Off on the unwarv.
Or otherwise misused Furthermore
they were specifically intended for tia
use OF the government, and ought not
TO BIO in non Official hands.
me order in question was prompl.
gated in 1887, Since then no triaI
coins have been sold by the Treasury
and no collector has been able NJ M,
cure them. In 1852 great efforts M
made to procure PATTERNS Of desigrs
for the new half dollar, quarter dnIIar
and dime, but without stIerraa M
tempts in the Same direction wifi
reference to the Columbian halves and
quarters were equally fruitlcsg if ihn
patterns had been secured, the holder
would be Obliged to keep his pnss4.
alGn Of them secret. Suppose lint n
fresh design for the silver tlollar 4baiiII
DO adopted, there is Eu law In rra
vent the Secretary Of the Treasury from
presenting you with a pattern. I'm II
you venture to offer it for sale the III.
thctlves of the Secret Service wGuli
swoop down and grab il. koboIy Il
permitted even to possess trial Coin.
struck since 1887.
The most interesting trial niece IN
existence is the "halfdime" II I1i9
Several copies of this are extant Tbe
diverse bears the head of Martha
Washington The silver of which tfry
were made was furnished by Georgo
Washington, vino sent suE.e Of his avn
family plate from Mount Vernon WITHIN
IPpihIladelphia mint fog the puproao
Thus the coins have an Historical M
well 80 a numismatic value. one n
them IN perfect condition is WORT. .',1
The first nattern nicrn or - -