The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-17
THE MONEY IN THE COUNTRY.


A correspondent asks IL there are as
many nickels n circulation az dollars. He
is ,v1ssntsy laborfng under the belief that
since SO many scent pieces are needed In
the daily transactions OF lie. there should
3. a. many O. them available as there are
dollars He viii probably be very much
surprised 20 learn that while from 1879.
when the frs; mint wa established. until
December 81. 1854. there were coined 40.
AT ss7 silver dollars, there have only been
coined IN all that time scent nickel pieces
10 ths value Of 3.5S.7so, or g71,o74 500
pieces.
The largest amount coined Of any one
piece is that OF toubls eagles. or SD gold
pieces. waIch have been coined TO the
amount of si,2I0 EOS. 100 and the smallest
amount thar OF half-cent copper pieces.
10 he total Of So. SOS II. bu, that coin has
not been n!ntsi since 1857. although IL
made It's FIRST appearance about 1888.
Among the coins which have been at
tempted 10 be put in circulation. but have
failed 10 find favor with the public, were
the s. gold pieces. OF which tIs. 4Ss 377 were
coined. and s. gold pieces. which we're
coined 10 the amount OF s., sle $40. bat none
Of these has been minted since isss. and
then only in very small quantities An
other coin which has not been very po2u-
lar IS the quarter eagle. OF which some
are coined every year. but the total Of
which has not exceeded SIS. SO. 200.
Among the silver and minor CONS the
ao-cent piece has been an utter failure.
It's first appearance was in 1876. but only
S21l 60 have been rninted. and they were
abandoned four years later. The Scent
silver piece vas first used about 1851, bat
was abandoned IN 1878. at the same time
the half dime. The z-cent copper coin
was FIRST minted In 1864, and $4,000 mluted,
bat that also was given up in 1878, al
though many OF them are stu In circula-
ton. The scent piece dates from 1856, and
has been steadily coined ever since. The
l-cent piece mas been coined regularly
every year since 1873. with two exceptions.
and az the close of 1894 there had been
coined about sil .O00. 900 worth In the follow
ing proportions; Copper. sl.562. sS7.44
AAt~SeC4s S~fvVfss-@, D4OAAIcs s't1tosoSS.Aos AZ
the end or the calendar year OF 1884 the
entire coinage OF the United States was
as follows: Cold g.. 1872 So 33223 silver. s6Sl.-
s9.6l9: minor coins. S. IS. 1881; total. g 44O.
94s. 49s.
Tie United States was far ahead OF any
other nation IN the world In its coinage OF
money in 1884 as the following table Civ
ing the coinage OF the principal nations
Will show:
United States ........ SIS $40. i6o 1920. 1851
Austria Hungary 80. 40.Ss5.45s l0x20. sS7
Germany .............. 81. 4S3lci Los, 9i5
Australasia ..........-. 3o,Sr 64S ......-..
Great Britain ........ q. 6S3 sol 400. 657
n 1895 up to the close OF the fiscal year.
there had been coined In the United States:
Gold. si3,933.f75; silver dollars. 1885 oil
making. with subsidiary coins. total for
The year OF $S3. 1850
II We were TO judge by these figures
alone Il would seem as IL the United
states, as compared with other nations.
ought 10 have enough money for all bust
ness purposes: and when the present agita-
ton is over and money comes out from
rs hiding places. there will be found 10
&c an ample supply. 1t Is an Industrial
stagnatioa which Is silng this country.
and not lack OF money.