The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-25
THINGS GENERALLY UNKNOWN
Matters on Gold and Silver Money Of
Country Never Put There by Law
Private Mails of Early Days
Careers of Some CoinerS.

very interesting article on the curlosllle
OF American coinage and the early Incl
dents OF its mintage by those responsible
for its initial utterance. and other mat
tiers of peculiar Importance attending it
use and non'usage:
Of coins OF the tenth century | nigh
state there are very few people VIII
know anything about them. am re
minded OF many curious facts about al
early coinage which is very little known
outside of numismatic circles. For in
stance how many know that the word
"E Pluribus Unum" which have appear
ed on various United States coins. ant
are on the standard silver dollar and tn,
nickel five.cent piece of today. were
never authorized by law to be so placed
Very few, and yet, no doubt, as many
know il as know that the later motto
In God We Trust" which appears on
all the minor coins, was Likewise origin.
ally stamped on them without authority
from the government.
The motto "E Pluribus Unum" first
appeared on an American coin in 1886.
There was no mint then, and, in fact,
no United States; the constitution form.
ing the Union not having as yet been
adopted. There was a private mint at
Newbury, n. v. and "E. Pluribus Unum"
was first placed on copper coin struck
at that mint. Very few collections have
specimens of this coin. 1t ia very valu.
able. In 1887 a New York goldsmith
coined piece OF money which was
known as the sixteen-dollar gold piece;
and upon it the motto was stamped in
this form "Unum f Pluribus."
Only four Of these coins are known to
be in existence. They are valued at
more than $1,000 each. New Jersey is.
sued various copper coins in 1887 with
the motto stamped upon them. A great
many of our early coins, before there
was any legal authority for national
coinage were made in England, most of
these were copper and were coined for
different states and all bore the words
"E Pluribus Unum." The United States
Mint was established in 1902 but the use
of the national motto on any of the
gold, silver or copper coins was not au
thorized or directed by any Of the pro-
visions Of the act establishing it. The
motto remained on our early gold and
silver coin, until 1884, when it was
omitted from the gold coins. In 1886
it was omitted from the 25.cent pieces,
and in 1887 from all silver coins. 1t
was not stamped on any coin again
until it appeared on the nickel and the
standard silver dollar. The words 'In
God We Trust" were first placed on the
2-cent piece which came into our sub
sidiary coinage in 1866, but is now no
longer part of it. The motto was placed
there by direction of James Polloc then
director Of the mint at Philadelphia and
no by any legislation of congress author
izing the minting of the 2-cent piece.
The motto was Subsequently stamped on
our silver half and quarter dollars the
mint thus boldly declaring the theologi-
cal status Of the country regardless of
the constitutional attitude on the sub
ject.
In 1893 the first gold coins were stamp
ed by authority in the mint from gold
found in North Carolina. BY the way,
it may be another fact but little known,
that the first gold digging5 and mines in
the United Staes were in North Carolina, !
and that the placer pit mines of that
state, together with those Of Georgia |
ttHu IDOuCH CdIODId' HlSCDhCIeu IhJeJD |
were 50 full of gold that they supplied
the mints and the demands Of trade in |
this country with the precious metal
from 1880 until the discovery of gold in
California, the mint having regions
alone more than $25,OOOOOO worth of
gold. It was' the gold yield of North
Carolina and Georgia that led to the
of the branch mints at /
N. G., and Dahlonega, Georgia.
Long before that, however, gold dust
being the universal circulating medium
in lower North Carolina and Northern
Georgia, and the adjacent regions of
South Carolina, and the risk and incon-
venience attending its use being very
great, German goldsmith, named Chris.
topher Bechtler, established q private
mint in the South Mountain district of
North Carolina, in Rutherford county,
and seat for the turning of gold into
money. lie stamped from the mines that !