The record-union., 1898-05-06
COLLOQUIAL NAMES OF COINS
Ahey Differ According to the Sec
ton of the Country.

referring to the word 'picayune," it
may not De unlnteresting to give a
shetch OF subsidiary coinage and cur
rehcy as used in the past. and the vari-
Jus names under which it was known.
IN ONO In 18Th and previously there
was a good deal of foreign coin in cir
cuidtloI, mostly Spanish, with some of
'ile olu state coinage of different States
occdsloAalIy making it's appearance
one OF the most plentiful of these for
elsh COINS was piece which passed
current Tor OH cents. In Ohio this was
known as hpenny bit, a contraction
propaply, OF fivepenny bit The half
dimes OF American coinage were also
becoming frequent at that time, and as
q distinction between the half-dime and
the hpenny bit the former was contract
ed to the word ftp" The dime went
under its lawful name, while the old
Spanish double of the fipenny bit was
known as the bit" and the Spanish
and Mexican quarter-dollar were near
ly always referred to as two bits" The
latter term, l think, still obtains in
reference to quarter-dollar American
pieces in some sections There was also
New York State "two-bit'' coin, as
We'll as bit of the same coinage.
Whic was sometimes called the York
shilling" The Pine Tree State shil-
ling, coming from Maine, was some
times seen, but not much used. It's val
lie was supposed to be IS 2-3 cents.
The oldfashoned big copper cent Of
American coinage was plentiful. while
occasionally an English halfpenny of
copper was found, floating around. gen
oralI
the American copper cent. Queen Vic
toria's head was then shown on the
English halfpennies.
Later, when, as boy removed with
my mother to Illinois, I met my first
stumbling block in money names. There
the fipenny bit was the picayune, 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 cents AS near as I 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 and the
further Northwest, and their names for
money predominated in that region.
Still later, when I had strayed away
to New York State I again encountered
new names for money. There every
thing was based on the shilling -
which represented II cents. A quarter
of a dollar was always two shillings,
and all sums under 500 We're calculat-
ed on the same basis. When l asked
the price of board l was told it ranged
from is to 80 shllings a week. The
price of a suit of clothes was generally
stated in shillings. That was all right
| for the natives, but / confess | had fire.
| Quently to brush up my arithmetic TO
| get at what SO shillings, % shillings, il
| shillings, or some other high number
amounted to. 1t was all clear enough
when it was two. four or six shillings
but when it got above the dollar it re-
uuired some "ciphering" on the part OF
stranger to get correct results.
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 about the same time as the pres
ent nickel five-cent piece
Some time before the civil war the
| old-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 by the fractional
currency of that day, issued in ., 1o, .
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 of them was "shinplaster'
though in Memphis and some otner
parts of the country they were reIerreu
| 70 as chicken feed. .'-Galveston News.