The morning times., 1896-07-19
A SILVER DOLLAR
NINETY MILES AROUND
Last Years Production Would Make
Wheel Reaching to the Sky.

ulated by girls deft fingers. goes over it
and cuts out the dollars, and another goes
over 1T and stamps them. The milling. or
the making OF little ridges around the edge
OF the dollars. is done at this time.
The critical period comes in between the
cutting and the stamping. After the coin
is cut it must he weighed upon most deli
cate scale. If il is irifle too heavy IL
is filed down and the filings saved. If
too light it must he remelted rernlled, re-
cut and remade. The stamp and design
complete the coin. which must weigh cor
rec,ly Ia the smallest fraction nf a grain.
1t is hold that cOuDterfcitng could easily
edone in both gold and silver. as the work
manshp is easier than that OF ma king bills.
True, but the weighing of each CON- tie
careful stamping, the milling and the fiji
ing down take SO much time for each one
that il is hardly worth u counterfcter'S
time. Easier for him to plug and fill than
to make from the beginning.
The silver dollar in the United States
celebrates its 1929 birthday next fall.
The first silver dollars We're made at Phila
deiphia in the old mint in 1874. They
were absolutely Necessary for the transac-
ton Of business, and though the machinery
for making them was most primitive, they
got made somehow.
AN OLD DOLLAR
AMI very pretty coins they were. Around
the edge there were letters, 'ODe hundred
cents, one dollar, or unit There was no
hint on either side OF the coin Of its vaIEe.
The microscopic lettering along the I'M
milled edge told the story only.
on one side was a Liberty figure with
flowing hair, surrounded by fifteen little
stars, for the fifteen States. and IN tie
other side was Il spread eagle, with laurel
wrcaths and Limited States OF America
These coins are now worth about $500
each or mere for private collections. Ttcy
Were two grains heavier than the silver
dollar oi today.
Inc silver collar kept on being coined
after this, the process becoming finer and
finer new machinery came To the young
republic. Long before the United States
established this mint III 1904, there were
silver dollars coined In the United States.
The Colonies got up their own money,
Continental silver dollars" and these
passed as legal tender These are not
very valuable now, but collectors like to
have them and will pay highest for the
1916 dollar, for it is this dollar which
Washington is said to have handled every
specimen of. II was George Washington
who in 1871 influenced Congress 10 estab-
iish q mint that should turn out all the
dollars that are wanted,
There are some singular things about the
making of dollars, just as there are bout
the making: OF pins. Ext rcmes meet some
tines in similarity. Dollars disappear ap-
parcuily off the face of the earth Just as
pins do. There are millions of them maize
every year, and millions more are needed
True, millions Of new people are horn.
But the people of the United States do not
increase in population as fast AS they do
III wealth. 1fevcry baby born in his coun-
try were to have its proportionatc share
of the money coined in the mint each child
would have hoop Of silver upon which
his cradle could rock. Piled up you
could not see the top with opera glasses.
One shaving from each upon the floor Of
the workroom is worth 500, O00s year.
There is n great deal said about CON
fidence" in money. Bat after one visit to
the mint of the United States, and after
an hours study Of the smallest OF the de-
tails necessary to produce n dollar, Wis
itor comes away finding himself in pos
session of all the confidence and admiral
ton necessary for the proper respect of
one of Uncle Sans dollars, Of whatever
color the old gentleman may have tainted
It.