The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-01-26
coLLoQUIAL NAMES OF COINS.
They Differ According to the Section
of the COuntry-Some Familiar
Applications.

Referring to the word ''picayune," it
may not be uninteresting to give q
sketch of subsidiary coinage and cur
rency as used in the past, and the va
rious 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 OF
the old state coinage of different states
occasionally making its appearance.
One of the most plentiful of those for
eign coins was piece which passed for
6H cents. In Ohio this was known as
a fpenny bit, contraction, probably,
of five-penny bit. The half-dimes of
American coinage were also becoming
frequent at that time, and as distinc-
tion between the half-dime and the
tipenny bit the former was contracted
to the word .'fip." The dime went un-
der its lawful name, while the old Span
ish double of the fipenny bit was known
as the "bit," and the Spanish and Mexi-
can quarter-dollars were nearly always
referred to as "two-bits." The latter
term, I think, still obtains in preference
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, 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 2-3 cents. The old-fashioned
big copper cent of American coinage
was plentiful, while occasionally an
English halfpenny of copper was found
floating around, generally passing on
the same basis as the big copper cent.
Queen Victoria's head was shown on the
English halfpennies.
Later, when as boy, removed with
my mother to Illinois, / met my first
stumbling block in money names. There
the fpenny bit was the pieayune, while
the ftp had its proper name of half
dime, or five cents. But the larger coins
retained the old names, as did the cop
per 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 l had strayed away
to New York state, again encountered
new names for money. There every
thing was based on the shilling"
which represented 12 cents. A quarter
of dollar was always ''two shillings,
and all sums under $1O0 were calcu-
lated on the same basis. When 1 asked
the price of board was told it ranged
from 16 to 30 shillings week, The
price of q suit of clothes was general
ly stated In shillings. That was all
right for the natives, but confess
had frequently to brush up my arith-
metic to get at what 33 shillings, %
shilhngs, II shillings, or some other
higher number amounted to. 1t was
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 the stranger to get cor
rect results.
The three-cent piece, originally
coined in silver, came into general cir
culation in the north about 1850, and
was later made In nickel, being coined
IN that metal about the same time as
the present nickel five-cept piece,
Some time before the civil war the
old-fashioned copper cent was replaced
at the mint with the present small
copper cents and 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 s, 10, 25
and 5O-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 "shin-
plaster" though In Memphis and some
other parts of the country they were re-
ferred to as "chicken feed."-Galveston
News.