Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-04-17
lHE PENNY Is POPULAR.
Our smallest Coin rs In Gre at Do
mand In Business
Bxrgain Counters In Dep~rtnsnt Stores
Have Done Much TO Make tho Coppers
secossary--An Important Pur-
chasing Power.

chasing Power.
The 1-cent copper coin of the
United States is enjoying an increased
popular demand. 1t is significant
fact that the coinage of this piece has
of very recent years taken up more OF
the time of the Philadelphia mint than
ever before. Three presses are now at
work there on copper coinage. turning
out 10000 cents day. This rate has
before been equaled or exceeded, but
ID is worthy of remark now in view OF
the previous great output of the copper
coins within the past dozen years.
Since the foundation of the mint in 1893
1,066,677, sos one-cent pieces have been
struck, and IL is estimated that some
7s0,000,000 pieces are now outstanding.
But the great bulk of this coinage
has taken place lately. From 1893 90
the beginning of the civil war the coin
age of the cent piece did not average
much above $4,000 worth year, or
100000 pieces. just prior TO and dur
ing the war the coinage became I'M
usually large, but fell off during the
time of inflated prices TO q marked ex-
tent. But in 1880 the penny coinage
rose suddenly to an unusually high
figure, and has kept there ever since.
Within the past IS years almost one
half of the entire penny coinage of the
whole country has been executed. or
the amount outstanding of 7s0,000,000
pieces, no less than 504, 100000 pieces
have been struck in the IS years. And
the public demand for the coin appears
to be undated and rather on the in
crease.
The explanation of this is doubtless
to be found in the more general prac-
tice of cash payments in the retail
trade and the great fall in prices which
has come about in the past 20 years.
Not long ago the smallest coin known
in the general circulation west of the
Mississippi river was the nickel scent
piece. Only within a few days the
larger st. Louis papers were charging
8 cents copy for their issues, when
cents. cents and even ] cent were the
prevailing rates farther east. Now pa
pcrs costing only the fraction of n
nickel are the rule rather than the ex-
ception in the west. The growth OF
the country and the competition in
business would of themselves finally
bring the cent into active use theref
but the downward course of prices has
operated all over the country to make
IL much more active coin than ever
before. Odd prices are now frequent
even where purchases are for round
amounts or considerable sums. Penny
bargain counters in some of the big de-
Dartment stores have lately been intro
luced. A Scent street car fare is not
and no doubt is to become
better known.
In fact, so closely is the trade of the
country calculating its prices that de-
nnnd may not be far off for the rein
reduction of the half-cent piece. Frac-
ional parts of cent are now very
common in even retail quotations.
england finds use for such coin in
he bronze farthing, France in the sou.
which Is. however, more nearly the
alue of n cent than u half-cent. Our
wn colnage laws have authorized the
oinage of n half-cent piece, and from
100 W 1911 ~ ldtBc nuInDCT OF tHtSS
ieces were struck At two other pc
iods before the war there was some
olnage of this coin; but in 1857 il was
iscontinued, and has not been since
evived. The 2-cent piece was dropped
4 1873, and the Scent piece in 1890.
The growing Importance of the
emmy or, more properly, the cent, has
n important bearing on the economy
the people. 1t gives to the nickel.
le- dime, and all pieces of money n
igher value in the eye of the possessor
inn they had before, and teaches care
all expenditures. No one now needs
} feel ashamed to wait at the store
II the change TO be brought back
to only cent. That penny
II come TO possess an important pur-
iasing power. greater than 1t has ever
I'd before. And it is in che way of be-
& advanced to second place above tho
west in the divisions of the monetary
rculation.-Springield (Mass.) Re
lhlican