Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-04-19
MONEY OF THE PAST.
FlPPENNY BITS, YORK sHlLLlNGS,
PICAYUNES AND COPPERS.

age, "SHlnplaSter' ana "Chlcken Feed'
Currency That Flourished Before Our
Present System.
90 Referring to the word "picayune, il
: may not be uninteresting to give a
Is sketch of subsidiary coinage and cur
If rency as used in the past and the vari-
Gus names under which it was known.
In Ohio in 1914 and previously there
was good deal of foreign coin in cir.
culation, mostly Spanish, with some Ct
Il the old state coinage of different states
n occasionally making its appearance.
q One of the most plentiful of these for
eign coins was piece which passed
currentfor 6 a cents. In Ohio this was
known as fippenny bit-a contraction,
/ probably, of five penny bit The half
r dimes OF American coinage were also
becoming frequent at that time and as
a distinction between the half dime and
the tippenny bit the former was con-
tracted to the word "fp." The dime
went under its lawful name, while the
old Spanish double of the fppenny bit
was known as the "bit and the Span.
ish and Mexican quarter dollars were
nearly always referred to as "two bits"
The latter term, think, still obtains in
reference to quarter dollar American
pieces in some sections. There was also
New York state 1.-TWO bit" coin, as
we'll as "bit" Of the same coinage,
which was sometimes called the "York
shilling The Pine Tree State shilling,
coming from Maine, was sometimes
seen, but not much used. Its value was
supposed to be 16 23 cents. The old
fashioned big copper cent of American
coinage was plentiful, while occasion.
ally an English halfpenny of copper was
found floating around, generally passing
on the same basis as the American cop
per cent. Queen Victoria's head was
then shown on the English halfpennies.
Later, when as boy I removed with
my mother to Illinois, I met nv
first stumbling block in money names.
There the fippeny bit was the picayune,
while the ftp had its proper name OF a
half dime, or cents. But the large
COINS retained the old Names as did the .
copper cents. AS near as | can learn,
the term picayune originated with the ,
French, who had settled St. Louis and
mad settlements at points all the way :,
from New Orleans to St. Louis and the !!
farther northwest, and their names for
money predominated in that region.
Still later, when I had strayed away y
o New York state, again encountered 81
lew names for money. There everything II
vas based on the "shilling," which "
epresented 121a cents. A quarter of a "
'ollar was always "2 shillings," and Id
III sums under 500 were calculated on I'd
ne same basis. When I asked the price ,,
board, was told it ranged from IS IN IN
80 shillings week. The price of II
mt OF clothes was generally stated in OF
killings That was all right for the W
atlves, but I confess 1 had frequently eli
brush up my arithmetic to get at
nat 50 shillings, ~, shillings, II shil- We
ngs, or some other high number, -
mounted to. 1t was all clear enough
hen it was 2, or shillings, but
hen 1t got above the dollar it required
me "clphering" Oh the part of tai
ranger to get correct results. lai
lhe 3 cent piece, originally coined in to
lVer, came into general circulation in SOL
@ north about 1850 and was later to
'de IN nickel, being coined in that Wi
1tal about the same time as tho pres. fro
nickel cent piece. He
some time before the civil war the inv
fashioned copper cent was replaced and
the mint with the present small con- due
cents and the 2 cent pieces. Later pus
ilrst nlckels were made, but almost qui
ht out OF circulation during the war, if
were succeeded by the fractional pref
,rency of that day, issued in 5, 10. 25 here
90 cent bills. They were never yery "wi
'ular with the masses and were look cam
upon by the government as q tenn. the
AIRY expedlent The most popular first
lshatlon for them was "shinnlas. min
j. though in Memphis and some p
er parts OF the country they were re. prea
ed to as "chicken feed" "Ni
turing the war there were MANY other at OF
S'ltutes Tor money, mostly in the kniv
n OF cardboard promises to nav ev. not t
n'he from drink Of whisky or a We're
Oh inc cars to suit of clothos. TWEEN
II quart OF milk or pound of Then
steak to week S salary. They have and
'ped out of use in most sections and Then
-nelr place Uncle Sans corners knivt
eiS' dimes, quarters, half dollars TWEEN
dollar OF the daddies' now reign and {
ehle'-John Spangler in Galveston nine
not 81