Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-05-06

ence 20 he Columbian halves and quarers
were equally fru.tless. If the pattern had
been secured. the holder would be obliged
10 keep his possession Of them secret.
Suppose that fresh design for The silver
dollar should he adopted. there is no law 10
prevent the Secretary of the Treasury
from presenting YOU with a'pattern. But
if YOU ventured 20 offer Il for sale, the de-
tectives of the secret service would swoop
down and grab Il. Nobody is permitted 10
even posses trial coins struck since 1851.
The most interesting trial piece in ex-
instance is the half dime" OF 1922 Several
copies Of ,n.s are extant. The diverse
hears the head Of Martha Washington.
The silver Of which they were made was
furnished by George Washington, who sent
some of MS own family plate from Mount
Vernon 10 the Philadelphia mint for the
purpose, Thus the coins haze an historical
as well as numismajic value. One Of them
I'm perfect condition is worth $50, The first
pattern piece for a double eagle was struck
I'm 1919 only one was made in gold, and
;his IS now preserved at the mint in Phiia-
Gelph.a. The treasury refused to sell il
for $3.50 to George /. Ssney. of Brooklyn
A pattern OF the same coin in brass. struck
20 Try the die was sold noI long ago for 80.
Three quarter dollars in copper, CORE
spending 20 the regular silver issue Of 1921
are known 10 exist. They are worth $50
each In 1S2 a few patterns were struck
for ring dollar" as 1t was called, which
was Of gold with large hole in the centre
of il. Thus the coin was bigger than an
ordinary gold dollar and more easily ham
died. II might he convenient, too, to
string such dollars after the fashion Of
Chinese cash" from which the idea was
doubtless taken. However the ring dollar
was no, considered worth adopting. Il was
hardly so extraordinary as the so-calied
'goloid'' coins of 1872. They We're intended
10 afford "A compromise between silver and
gold as monetary standards. There was 81
piece Of gold. a dollar Of silver containing
a few grains Of gold, and a smaller dollar
with less silver and more gold.
Twenty copies of each of these proposed
pieces were struck. For a time the market
price for a set of three was SlOo, But the
idea excited much popular interest. and SIS
additional sets were minted in order that
certain officials and each member of Con-
F.
market was broken. and one can purchase
the three golod Coins for s.
The minis furnish proof coins TO any one
who wants them. They are made for the
benefit of collectors. and in finish are far
superior TO the everyday pieces. They are
struck not in the ordinary fashion by ma.
chinery. but with hand presses. The dies
are specially cut for the purpose, and care
fully FURNISHED. so as TO be as smooth and
cAan as possible. Furthermore, the
p,anchets or blanks" of metal are bur
risned before they are put under the dies.
The coin thus produced is beautifully
bright. with a surface that is actually
mirror-lke. Such pieces are kept by coll
lectors in little pockets of huckskin, in or
der that they may not suffer the slightest
tarnish.
The minis have turned out these proof
coins 10 order for the last forty years
However. they Will furnish only those of
the date Of The current year; no back num-
her specimens are sold under any condition.
You may buy a set of proof pieces for 1896
for $50. These include the dollar. half
dollar, quarter dollar, dime. nickel and
cent. The total face value of the pieces
mentioned is S1.9l. so that you pay only 80
cents for the accommodation. Since 1863
all coin dies used by the minis have been
destroyed at the end of each year.