The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-23

THE ERRAND nor or I'm -
CIAL woRLD.
How Cents Are Miasea-wn. !. . !.
Agile Penny Goes In In 49,.
atfOns From the Nipt !. -. 4 3
U- Proass In Csunterera1.

- q
that bears the face OF the Goodies 8 " ]
erty. Ii al the pennies that A. 49, y =
circulation IN the United Ssass.
pied one upon another. when -. 49, n.
was finished IL would be lno ,sy..s, !. 4.
as the giant Goddess OF rah~r4v -. ~
lightens small part OF the worsa - - -
York harbor. = ~
II those same pennies wer. ,.as
to edge they would extend fsc~ ~-s
Francisco 10 St Petersburg. II i ~.
true that the tall pie Of them refssv.s M
would be 4.@o times the heleht y 4.
Fife. tower. the saliest in fhA vrs.nssss
All the pennies In the United stnse. -
stamped at the Philadelphia Mr. -
they are not, as most people sus.ss. &
made there. The government nv. ,s
blank coppers on which the 6~sas MI
stamped from a western firm. each 49,
sand cents costing SIS. So ID -
with a face value of 81, cost The -
ment less then one-fifth OF thar -. "a
AS a result OF all this. Uncle sam ,r.S]
big profit on his pennies. Tnls ,-z7
not be true IL all the pennies tkue ss
coined were presented fcr rcd
They never are. however, for fulv ~
NTH Of them seemingly so our az r.
ence In mysterious ways. All the -
In which the pennies are loa ~ u
multifarious as the sins Of the -
II the lost pennies were weighed ( f.
estimated that they would tip the siii72
at $500 pounds.
When the blanks from which IL
are made reach the mint they An +
cut into long strips. These strips -
through a stamping machine whick S
them out. imprints the design ana
them into boxes.
Then they are run through -
machine. which throws out any III I
imperfectly made and the rest par 7
broad table. where they are e.
not by hand. but by means Of Rp,nE.S
case into which they fall $40 at 4 ~
They are then tied up In eanvas ~
ready 10 be shipped away as th<Y p
called for 81
One would think that the penny go
be the last coin 10 be counterfejloA re
as a matter OF fact there are mn
rious cents than there are OF dolInn ~
dimes. A pound Of copper. eaoulN q
make 100 cents. can be bought 66f13
cents. SO that the counterfeiteFs can -
soed profit II they are skil.ful g.
So many bad pennies come to the D.
States treasury that some OF IL 80
service men are at work al tt f.
looking for the men who mako III
''The hardest working member 4 III
whole coin family Is the penny m
Supt. Milman. OF the New Yosk III. ~
ury, the other day, as he watckSf ~
unloading of an express waeou ri -
with canvas bags OF the copper Co. e.
Is the errand boy OF the mopey ~
and a remarkably sr,ry youngsfw. RI
who covers lot of ground m III 60
Of a year. II is also pre-emineutS m
chtldren's coin. though I dare ~ -
are lot OF interesting things ~ d
that those whose sticky fingers hh]
keep II under motion do net kncus
For instance. cents often Gone ux5
at the rate Of a million q day. ~
treasury is the clearing hcane q T.
coins for the metropoiitan Aslziets L
we handle an immense number q q
In the course Of a year. IhAk ~ IT,
coming in contains 5000 guefh ~ u
sents a days collection from 3 G1nE111H
SLOT machine company.
Perhaps before the day u ovtf ~
livery truck from one OF the great 61Colk'
/ ment stores will be down hese afie ~
600 WORTH .000, 0O0 pieces. That 1f1en -
pens and II shows the way thr 49,
and &C. Here" leading the Hay 80
room occupied by what Is known - ~
minor coin division. ''you see the uoyu
handle them"
The part Of the room which ~ IL
money was protected by a rainG Il
heavy iron bars, and behind then -
clerks were busiIy at work In - ~
ner. pied as high as The mems -
were the canvas bags. each With H. u
coins. just as they had been br0oGM Il
On the opposite side three clefu -
busiiy counting on from greot - Il
loose pennies.
Perhaps there are 50o.n00.0m $780,
pieces here now" continued th4 r
tendent. possibly more. The -
growing now. has been since -
ming OF the year. That Is to ~ Lad
are more people who have penn
they want to exchange for III -
there arc rho bring liz large 49,
tions and get cents for them. H.
are as good as calendars for -
"For several weeks before ChF1oeM
didn't take in many: the chiidfen wsly
ing them up 10 buy presents ~
that passed into the hands 81 the
men. toy dealers and other sb0p ~
about December Is are coming b1c& 1 ~
now. But they will go out again ~
Every fall when school opens tb<
begin to come in fast. The chllA
spending more for candy and such q
During the summer months they ~ Il
late on our hands. for then the - ~ -.
are not spending 50 many. Whenes u...,
Is storm. spell Of bad weather.
thing that keeps the penny-speu0ne Sx
laffoa at home. We can see the ana
the numbers that come 10 Us. s..
so there are many ways IN
ran trace the connection betNeea - ~
dren and the cents. and !, may insxsssss -, ,s
youngsters 10 know that they have
deal 10 do with the circulation Of g =
ticular coin Perhaps the tW0 5zz1
which have had most 10 do wita - 1..s.s n
increase In the circulation CT peass
recent years are the slot machinee = -
bargain stores. -
ssTne craze for 4s-cen, and a-cep
gains requires a great many peunles A 4
way Of change. and. as have y
no unusual thing for the big dfpe
stores 10 take sIa0n1 worth - ~
Most of these come back 70 III ~ q - =
of the slot machines. whics nave So.
ne wonderful in number ard vsr1esys
.~rhere are kaleidoscope views 49,
xranhx. automatic music boxes. esHex
chewing gum sellers. weighing -
lifting machines. and hundred 49,
Others standing al every hand ana ..s-s7
the n1nrses from their o~ners
The result OF all this has bees y.
government has hard work sofne ~
tine IN maintaining the supply. - ~
hars,y make pennies fast enouxn ~
., With he growth In the de- IS