Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-07-21
a9lisfellamtons 8eaaina.
The FIRST COPPER CENTS.

other countries, in numbers exceeding
all other coins, have been submitted to
many fantastic changes. Rude every
where as they originally appeared, the
most extensive fabrication has added
little grace to relieve them from being
everywhere common and unclean." "
The copper coins issued in England,
by Charles II, possessed intrinsic value
equal to their nominal value-Charles
XII, of Sweden, however, made copper
coins of less weight than that of our
earliest copper cent, and then paid
them to his army as the value of a
silver dollar. 1t is some qualification
to find our treatment of a copper a
little less heroic than that of the
Swede.
The earliest American copper coins
made by any state were made at Rup-
pert, in Vermont, and before Yer
mont had been admitted into the Un-
ion. A mint was there established for
eight or ten years, having a capacity
to stamp sixty coppers per minute,
upon which the so-called "babyhead'
goddess of liberty appeared; but
truth compels me to say that this god
dess was no more comely thah that on
the coins of the present day, although
she was a hundred years younger.
The owner of the mine, Reuben Har-
mon, was bound to pay the state %
per cent. for his privilege. At first
these coins passed two for q penny,
then four and then eight, when they
no longer paid for their cost, mainly
on account of the sudden competition
in other states, and of the large i'm
portations of Birmingham hardware,
commonly called "Bungtown Cop
pers." We had no protective tariff
then, and we have none now, against
"Bungtowns," whether of copper or
silver.
In 1857, by authority of congress,
q contract was made with James Jar
Wis, for 800 tons of copper coins of the
Federal standard, and cents were coin
ed at the New Haven mint, Of the fol-
lowing description: On one side 13
circles linked together, small circle
in the middle, with the words, "we
are one )" on the other side, sun
dial, and below the dial the words,
"Mind your business"
In 1892 congress authorized the coin.
age of copper cent weighing 264
grains, which was reduced, in 1898, to
2OS grains on which the so-called
"booby-head" appears, and in 1857 to
70 grains, of which SS per cent. was to
be copper and IL per cent. nickel. In
1864 it was once more reduced, to 4S
grains-95 per cent. of copper and 5
per cent. of tin or zinc. Finally in
1882, the last change was made, to
three-fourths of copper and one fourth
of nickel, but the weight remains at
4S grains.
The frequent and wide alterations
which have been made in our copper
coins show that intrinsic value has al
most vanished, and they beal almost
no proportional value to other coins !;
but at the start when copper bore a
much higher price, the weight of the
cent was fixed at five and half times
what it is now. In the southern por-
tion of our country, and especially on
the Pacific coast, copper coins have
been as uncurrent as the yellow colored
Cinnamon, or for a long time they
were practically tabooed, and even
now they are unwelcome travellers,
much in need of passport. Wher-
ever not altogether snubbed, the cop
per cent must pass, as Woods notable
copper coins must have passed in
America or Ireland, far above any real
value, and with little other merit be-
yond that of the dusky color now
supplied on its face to our recent
Indian image of Liberty. After COM
mon use these coins assume deeper
Ethiopic complexion, and become petty
nuisances- scents as we'll as cents
redolent of many coppery smells,
which are easily transmitted to other
coins, or to anything with which they
hold pocket intercourse. Copper, as a
metal is wondrously useful, daily be-
coming more so, but neither Lycurgus
nor Hamilton would at this day think
of stamping it as money. Certainly
we can do better. If the cent and
2-cent coins were now made wholly of
nickel, the government would obtain
an ample seignorage; and nickel,
when compared with swarthy copper,
is immaculate, or clean and bright.
The importance of the cent coinage
will be realized, when we find that
over 4O,OOO,OOO pieces were coined last
year.
The Chinese and japanese bronze
coins are of very light weight, of an
gular form. with hole in the centre,
and some of them are quite equal to
other exhibitions of Oriental art which
are now received with public favor.
The specimen of an unauthorized cent
made by our mint in 1850, with a
round hole in the center, suggests
what might be done, if not with a
nickle cent, perhaps with half dime
of silver. The present nickle half
dimes are so nearly of the same diam
eter and thickness of quarter dollar
that they are not readily distinguish
ed but with a perforation, square or
round, in the centre, all confusion
would be remedied as we'll by touch
as by sight.