The evening times., 1896-05-20

1t is very probable that within a short
time the silver coinage OF the United states
will undergo a revolution, so far as the de-
signs are concerned. The Treasury Depart
meut has become wearied with looking
at the peculiarly homely faces on the dimes,
quarters and half dollars, and with view
to artistic Improvement, Congress Will be
asked to give its conSentto a change OF dies.
The face of Liberty, on the silver dollar,
too, is not considered a particularly ar
tistic creation, and while the faces on
the coins of smaller denominations look
to the right, the lady, whose face adorns
the dollar, is guzing longingly toward the
left.
Four years ago Congress gave permis-
siou for altering all the metal money OF the
realm, aud the half dollars. quarters and
dimes were changed, but the results were
hot deemed happy.
The dollar is open TO change without FUR
ther authorization by Congress. Its pes
ent design was adopted in 1873. At that
time a number OF dollars in different styles
were struck by the government, and speci-
mems of them today fetch high prices, be
ing rare.
81 one of them was the so called wash
lady dollar" which bore a female pro-
file with an enormous head of hair held
together by nothing visible. There were
washlady halves aud washlady qua rtersalso,
The schoolgirl dollar OF the same epoch
exhibited a youthful profile with flowing
hair held by Il ribbon. Only two OF these are
eXtant, and they are worh $15O each.
THE TRIAL PIECES.
<.T ,,t. a.
sign for a coin is icing considered, Il num-
Der of experimental pieces are struck. Any
body is al liberty TO send in u drawing or
model. and, if 1t is deemed sufficiently ar
tistic and complies with certain legal re-
quirements, a mint will reproduce il in the
shape of Il coin.
Perhaps Il dozen such coins wi II he turned
cut cXpc riuentally, a few of each being
stamped in metal. These samples II re
placed in the hands of the members Of the
C"uuIittces Oh " lights aud Measures i'll the
Senate and House, who oh, ose the one they
like best, with the advice OF the Secretary
of The Ire asury and the Dircc; or of the Mint.
The othe RS are returned 10 the Treasury.
The rejected ones are called pattern
pieces" or trial pieces" Formerly the
mint sold them 10 e: lie Ctors over its counter
at set prices, which weIe very high usuai ily.
Being hard to get. they were much sought
after.
For the sake of chearncss the dollars aud
coins of higher dc limitations were struck
most commonly in base metal. Thus We're
made dollars, half agles, eagles nd double
eagles of copper. platinum, brass, Tin,
aluminium and various compositions. The
Treasury charged $50 for four different
half dollars OF 1861 in copper, composing
set. which bore the inscription, '.Gcd Our
Trust 'i
1t will be undo crstOod that such pattern
pieces were not intended 10 getinto Circula-
tion. They were merely for collectors WHO
for gold eagle in copper or 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 surreptiously and flooGed
the market with pieces for which the col
lectors We're pa ying big prices, on the sole
ground that only a few were supposed to he
III existence. This was done notably in the
case of the four copper half-dollars above
referred to, n set of which may now he
purchased for s.. The government did not
even take the trouble to investigate this
outrage with a view of punishing the per-
petrators