The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-29
LEGEND OF MISSING CENTS.
Fulton Used Early Issues to Make a
Boiler for a Steamboat.
New York ST.


That some of the rarest and most val
liable of the United States cents, partic-
ularly those dated 1899 and 1904. owe
their scarcity to the fact that Fulton
built the steamboat Clermont, is the
theory held by some coin collectors.
They believe that thousands of the old
time large copper cents went toward
making the copper boiler for the pioneer
steamboat.
This theory would explain the mystery
that has long puzzled coin collectors as
to the reason for the almost total dis
appearance of the cents of the dates
mentioned.
The first cents struck at the United
States mint at Philadelphia were of the
large size. The copper blanks. or plan
chefs, were imported from England. be-
ing sent over in kegs.
Copper at this period was a scarce ar
ticle in this country. With the excep-
ton of the small quantity produced at
the only copper mines then known in
the United States. those at CRANKY.
Conn.,, nearly all the metal used here
came from England.
Builders of steam engines in those
days were Of the opinion that boilers
constructed of iron were unsafe and i'm
practicable, and as a consequence boil
ers were made of copper, all the boilers
that came from England being, it is
said, constructed of that metal. Full
ton was likewise of the belief that cop
per was the only fit metal to be used
in boilers.
1t is therefore possible that, finding a
scarcity of metal with which to con-
struct the boiler of the Clermont. he
finally resorted to the most convenient
source of supply, which happened to be
the large United States copper cents.
OF course, the cost of such a boiler
would represent a large sum, but it is
on the records that the steam frigate
Fulton, launched in 1915, the year of the
inventors death, had a boiler entirely
constructed of copper, which alone cost
the large sum of 1000.
That the supply of cents of this period
was large enough to meet such a de-
mand is also likely enough. From 1893
to and including 1895, 1,036, 033 cents
were coined: in 1896. ga, 700 were struck
1897. S97 $40; 1898. 979. 700: 1893, 1874, 5S5
1900, 1926, 175; 1901, 1885,, S37; 1902, 3,435-
100; 1903, 2.471, 1853; 1904, $685. 1906, 941,-
116.
This makes a total Of 1851, 947 cents
struck at the mint UP to and including
the year in which the boiler was made.
The cents struck during the years
1898, 1884 and 1895 weighed 20S grains
each, which would give the number of
pieces struck, 1,066,03S, a total weight
of about 31,7T0 pounds. In 1895 the
weight of the copper cent was reduced
to 16S grains, which would give the
number coined from 1896 up to and in
Guiding 1905, 10. 545.914, a total weight of
about 373,15S pounds, making the total
weight of the 16,611,9 47 cents struck
from 1898 to 1905 about 100000 avoirdu-
pois pounds of 1000 grains each. which
/ "a Y7fx f1I
times more than sufficient to make a
boiler of the size used by the Clermont.
Nearly all the cents of this period are
now scarce. but the ones dated 1893 and
1904 are extremely so. 1t is an odd fact
that the rarity of the former was not
appreciated until about 1860. when coin
collecting in this country was in its in
fancy.
Philadelphia by the name Of ]. ].
Mickey. seeking a cent of 1899, the year
Of his birth, only came into possession
of one after a great deal of trouble. and
even then the specimen which finally
came to his hand was in poor condition.
Persevering in his endeavor to obtain q
better specimen, his efforts resulted in
so little success that Mr.. Mickey was
ultimately forced to the conclusion that
cents of this date were extremely
scarce.
1HIOuSH iOOAlllB EOG LIlS cent u Jills
date he became interested in coins of
all kinds, and soon became a collector
of the first rank and was noted as pos
sessing the finest and most cOmprehen-
sive collection of coins then in the
United States. Not satisfied with the
opportunities provided in this country
for the acquisition of new varieties, Mr..
Mickey made trips to various parts of
the world and added many rare and in
teresting coins to his collection.
Some years later thief broke into his
residence in Philadelphia and stole
many rare specimens and the veteran
collector thereupOn became discouraged
and sold the remainder of the coins at
auction.
An uncirculated 1899 cent If now Of
fered at auction would bring at least
$500 and perhaps more. Those in some
what circulated condition are held in
high estimation by collectors, and even
a much worn specimen upon which the
date is discernible is worth couple of
dollars.
The 1904 cent is almost as rare as that
dated 1888, and win bring almost as
much of a premium. While the re-
mainder of the dates are not so rare,
still uncircuiated and sharp specimens
bring as much as 500. Every thing
considered, it is not improbable that the
boiler of the C1ermont or one of the
boilers made by Fulton did contain a
large proportion of the early supply of
conner cents. 1t is certain that of many
millions struck originally, few today are
l. -ss-&a