The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-03-31
DAYS OF SMALL COINS.
When 'Chicken Feed" Currency Was
in Circulation.


In Circulation.
Referring to the word 'picayune," it
may not be uninteresting to give a
sketch of subsidiary coinage and cur
reney as used in the past, and the vari-
GUS names under which it was known.
La Ohio in 1874 and previously there
was good deal of foreign coin in circu-
latlon. mostly Spanish, with some of
the old state coinage of different states
occasionally making its appearance.
Cne of the most plentiful of these for
eign coins was piece which passed
current for GA cents. In Ohio this was
known as a fppeny bit, a contraction
probably of fivepenny bit. The half
dimes of American coinage were also
becoming frequently at that time, and
as a distinction between the half dime
andlthe fippeny bit the former was con-
tracted to the word ftp" The dime
went under it's lawful name. while the
old Spanish double of the fippeny 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 two bit" coin,
as well as bit" of the same coinage,
which was sometimes called the York
shilling" The Pine Tree state shilling,
coming from Maine, was sometimes
seen, 4 not much used. Its value was
suppo "a to be 10 % cents. The old
fashioned big copper cent of American
ally an English halfpenny of copper
was found floating around, generally
passing on the same basis as the Ameri-
can copper cent. Queen Nictoria's
head was then shown on the English
halfpennies.
Later, when. as a boy, removed with
my mother to Illinois, | met my first
stumbling block in money names.
There the fppenny bit was the plea
yIne, while the ftp had its proper name
of half dime or five cents. But the
larger coins retained the old names, as
did the copper coins. AS near rs can
learn, the term picayune originated
with the French, who had settled ST,
Louis and had settlements at points all
the way from New Orleans to St. Louis
names for money predominated in that
region.
Still later, when | had strayed away
TO New York state, | again encountered
new names for money. There every
thing was based on the shilling"
which represented 12H cents. A quar-
ter of a dollar was always two shil-
lings." and all sums under 500 were
calculated on the same basis. When
asked the price of board l was told it
ranged from l6 to 30 shillings a week
The price of a suit of clothes was gen
orally stated in shillings. That was
all right for the natives, but [ confess
l had frequently to brush up my arith-
metic to get at what 80 shillings, %
shillings, II shillings, or some other
high number, amounted to. 1t WIS all
clear enough when it was two, four or
six shillings, but when it got above the
dollar it required some "ciphering" on
the part of a stranger to get correct re-
suits
The three-cent piece, originally coined
In silver, came into general circulation
in the north about 1850, and was later
made in nickel, being coined in that
metal at about the same time as the
present nickel five-cent piece.
Some time before the civil war the
cld-fashioned copper cent was replaced
at the mint with the present small cop
per cents and the two-cent pieces
Later the first nickels were made, but
almost went out of circulation during
the war, and were succeeded bv the
fractional currency of that day, issued
in 5, 10, 25 and 50-cent bills. These
were never very popular with the
masses, and were looked upon by the
government as temporary expedient
The most popular designation for them
was "shinplasters," though in Memphis
and some other parts of the country
they were referred to as chicken feed. 3"
During the war there were many
other substitutes for money. mostly in
the form of cardboard promises to pay
everything from drink of whisky or
ride on the cars to a suit of clothes;
from quart of milk or a pound of beef
steak to weeks salary. They have
dropped out of use in most sections, and
in their place Uncle Sans coppers
nickels, dimes. quarters, half dollars
and dollar of the daddies" now reign
supreme.-John Spangler, in Galveston
News
The Queen OF ypain's Busy Life
Spain is essentially a lazy country
In all ranks the people rise late and
turn night into day; but the queen