The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-08-30
OUR COINS.

A strange thing about our coming
system is that the Government loses
money in coming gold, but makes a
big profit in coming pennies. For
instance, in $40 gold piece there is
exactly $40 worth of gold and 10 per
cent. of copper-put in to harden the
precious metal-besides the cost of
ninting. 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 81, 800
per million. That is, the United
States Government obtains for 7 $40
cents the copper blanks, which, by
the process of shipping, are trans
formed into 81 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 Phila-
delphia must keep on turning out
new pennies at an average rate of
4,ooo,o 900 per month. This useful
little coin has its beginning, 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 Waterbury, Conn, who are
under contract to supply the Govern
ment with copper blanks-that is,
pennies unstamped. At Waterbury
the new copper is melted and mixed
with tin and zinc, according to a re-
cipe prescribed by the Treasury De-
partment at Washington, and then
hardened into bricks. These are cut
into slices the thickness of cent, and
the strips are passed through ma
chimes 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 de-
nomination on the other.
In 1916 was coined New York
cent. The diverse bears bust sup
posed to have been intended for Cen
eral Washington in the costume of
the Continental Army encircling it
is the motto, "Non vi VIRTUE Vici."
The reverse has the figure of Liberty,
seated on a pedestal, holding in her
right hand a staff surmounted by a
liberty cap and in her left the scales
of justice. Around the coin are the
words "Neo Eboracensus," with the
date in the exergne, 1886.
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
by thirteen stars around the coin
are the words "Quarta Decima Stel-
la ;" reverse, the sun rising from be-
hind the mountains, Plow in the
mont 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 "Inde ct Lib" with the date
1888. Another with the same legend,
reads, EFT Lib Inde, I788."
The Connecticut cents bear date
1875, 1886 and 1887. The diverse
has 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 'Inde ct Lib,
and the date. There are many va
rieties of the 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 a
hand holding scroll on which is in
scribed "Our Cause is Just" Re-
verse, fifteen stars in the form of a
triangle; on the stars are indented
the initials of the several States, Ken
lucky heading the column. This was
struck at Lancaster, England, in
1901, 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 a star, and around the
coin the word Commonwealth )" on
the other side the American eagle,
holding in his right talon an olive
branch, in his left bunch of arrows,
on its breast a shield on which is in
scribed the word "Cent," !" and around
the edge of the coin Massachusetts,
1881" Half cents of the same type
were struck. This coinage was con-
tinued for two years, but upon the
adoption of the Constitution of the
States, which prohibited the several
States from coming money, the mint
was established by vote of the Massa-
chusetts Assembly in 1886, and $780,
900 in cents and half cents were or
dered to be made. Part of the works
and machinery for the mint was
erected at Boston Neck and part in
Dedham. Boston Herald.
THE WRONG ROLL.
4