The Winslow mail., 1897-02-13
PENNIES OF ALUMINIUM,
fhe Mint Making Tests to See If They
Are Practicable.

fhe Mint Making Tests to See If They
Are Practicable.
In the short period that will elapse
before Congress convenes again in De-
cember series of interesting expert
ments in coinage will be conducted at
the mint in this city. Metals and al
loyS heretofore untried for the purpose
will be tested and stamped into token
coins. Their availability as substitutes
for the alloys Of which the minor coins
-nickels and cents-are now made
will be ascertained and samples sub
mitted to Congress.
OF all the countless possible alloys to
be obtained from copper, tin, nickel
and aluminium in different combina-
tions, perhaps fifteen or twenty may be
found fairly satisfactory. 1t is possible
that one or two of these may advan-
tageously be brought into use for gen.
eral coinage. No fault has been found
with the present 1c. and sc. pieces.
The experiments are merely ordered TO
keep in touch with the times and to
gain knowledge of resources. The
Philadelphia mint, while having no
regular experimental department, Is
well quipped to make the tests.
Aluminium, which has never yet
found a place in the currency of any
nation, Is to be worked up into trial
coins. 1t Is also to be given q chance
in new alloys. Aluminium Is a metal
of which but little has been known I'M
til recently and it has been found USE
full in so many ways that sort of pop
ular idea prevails that it would be good
for coins. Chief among its advantages
would be it's very light weight. Cents
made Of it could be readily distinguish
ed from coins Of the same size by this
remarkable lightness alone.
DR.. D. X. Tuttle, the chief refiner Of
the mint, who knows all about the
properties of metals, is somewhat
skeptical, however, as to whether alu-
minum will come out of the proposed
tests with flying colors. 1t is extremely
difficult to anneal, and when heated
will suddenly run like butter instead CT
becoming plastic. There would be
trouble in rolling it into the long strips
from which disks are cut preparatory
to stamping. OF course, 1t can be
worked, but not with sufficient ease
and rapidity to make it practicable for
coming on a large scale.
Pure nickel has recently been coined
in Switzerland, but it has been found
just as difficult to handle as aluimn um,
though for a different reason. Such
great heat is necessary to bring it into
condition for coming that the operation
is slow and expensive. While pure
nickel coins might be satisfactorily
made in the mints Of Switzerland, 1t
does not follow that the same would
be true at the Philadelphia mint, which
is called upon to turn out fifty times
as many scent pieces as the mints OF
that country, and could not spare the
time to work over item.
The scent coin now in use contains
only 25 per cent. of nickel, the remain
ing Is per cent. being of copper. Nickel,
more than any other metal, has the
property Of giving its color to an alloy.
Even an alloy of 80 per cent. of copper
and 1O per cent. OF nlckel Will De uedjly
white The advantage of using a great
or proportion Of nickel in the scent
piece is therefore not apparent, espe-
ciauy as more than p per cent. of it
makes the alloy refra tory.
The experiments at Pe mint will IN
clude different combin& IONS Of nickel,
copper and zinc, forn. he allows
known under the head Vi German l.
yer; copper and tin, which pra1 .ce
bronze; aluminium and copner .ich
make aluminium bronze. Il Sill
yer has been used for coli one of
the small South American s, and
proved fairly adapted for the purpose.
Bronze IL commonly used for coins of
small value. 1t is doubtful if aluminium
bronze in any form will be found ac-
ceptable, as it is hard to work, and has
a yellow, brassy appearance, resem-
bling gold, which is to be avoided IN
all coins Of small denominations
Philadelphia Record.