The Bemidji pioneer., 1902-09-11
FACTS ABOUT COINS.
Government Loses in Coming Gold, but
Profits on the Pennies.

tFAt EIoAlo Ou IlV . CiilAACS'
A strange thing about our coming
system is that the government loses
money in coming gold, but makes a
big profit in coming pennies, says the
Boston Herald. For instance, in a
ten-dollar gold piece there is exactly
ten dollars worth Of gold and ten
per cent. of copper--put in to harden
the precious metal-besides the cost
Of minting. A silver piece Of money
is about half profit, but the penny
pays Uncle Sam best OF all, as the
blanks are purchased at the rate OF
$1,000 per million. That is, the
United States government obtains
for 1910 cents the copper blanks
which by the process of stamping are
transformed into one dollars worth
Of pennies.
What becomes of the millions of
pennies coined each year by the gov
ernment is an unsolved problem. TO
supply the demand the mint at
Philadelphia must keep on turn
ing out new pennies at an aver
age rate Of 100000 per month.
This useful little coin has its begin
ming, Of course, in copper mine. BY
the process of smelling the copper is
separated from the iron or lead or
silver in the ore and is bought by
agents who sell it to firm in Water
bury, Conn, who are under contract
to supply the government with cop
per blanks--that is, pennies un-
stamped. At Waterbury the new cop
per il melted and mixed with tin and
zinc, according to recipe prescribed
by the treasury department at Wash
ington, and then hardened into
bricks. These are cut into slices the
thickness of a cent and the strips are
passed through the machines with
punches that work up and down with
enormous pressure and stamp out the
little round disks just the size OF a
penny. These blanks are put up in
strong boxes and sent by express to
the mint at Philadelphia, where they
are stamped with the head on one
side and the denomination On the
other.
In 1776 was coined a New York
cent. The diverse bears a bust sup
posed to have been intended for Gen.
Washington in the costume of the
continental army; encircling it is the
motto, "Non Vi VIRTUE Vici," The
reverse has the figure OF liberty, seat
ed on pedestal, holding in her right
hand a staff suYmounted by a liberty
cap and in her left the scales Of JUS
tice. Around the coin are the words
"Neo Eboracensis,o with the date in
the exergne, 1856.
The Vermont cents were coined for
four successive years. One variety
has on the diverse an eye with rays
extending from it which are divided
into 13 stars; around the coin are the
words "Quarta Decima Stella;" re-
verse, the sun rising from behind the
mountains, plow in the foreground,
with the legend ''Vermont Ersium
Res Publica," with the date 1885.
Another type has on the diverse a
poorly cut head with the words
''Vermont Auctori," on the reverse
"1nde ct Lib" with the date 1888.
Another with the same legend reads
"Et Lib Inde, 1888" ... :.
The Connecticut cents bear date
1885, 1886 and 1887. The diverse
has a head with the words ''Auctori
Connec," on the reverse, a figure OF
Liberty holding staff in one hand
and an olive branch in the other, sur
rounded by the motto "lnde ct Lib
and the date. There are many va
rieties of this cent. all Of which are
very poorly executed.
. Without date is a cent having on
one side the motto ''Unanimity is the
Strength of Society" encircling
hand holding a scroll on which is in
scribed "Our Cause is Just" Re-
verse Is stars in the form Of a tri-
angle; on the stars are indented the
initials of the several states, Ken
lucky heading the column. This was
struck at Lancaster, England, in
1891, for circulation in America and
was called the Kentucky cent.
In 1887 the commonwealth of
Massachusetts ordered from its mint
a copper coin having on one side an
Indian with his bow and arrow, near
his forehead star and around the
coin the word Commonwealth" on