The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-09
FIVE CENT PIECE IS
A NECESSARY Coin
Nickel Stands for More Fixed
Values Than Any Other
Denomination.

officials of the United States Treas
ury Department sometimes discuss tn"
nations somewhat cumbersome coin
age and make suggestions to one an
other that this or that change mignf
/ bring relief to the working forces Of
TIE department. Generally these dis
crssions do not go beyond the inner
! circle where they originate, no
| change Is made or even suggested Sc
riously and the work OF the mint goes
| on az before.
! Recently, however, the fact leaked
| out that the five cent piece or nick.
! ell had been under discussion, and
| that the Government might ask Con-
! gress to pass a law eliminating "
/ frcm the national coinage. Small
/ likelihood exists or ever did exist that
| such a step would be taken, but for
| short space of time considerah i"
| anxiety developed in all parts of tn"
ltountry lest the useful and popular
nickel should disappear from the
/ circulating medium.
| The fact is the Government couId
| afford to dispense with almost anV
co'n rather than the five cent piece
| 1t stands for more stable prices thar
| any other. 1t Is the price of lnc'
| of bread, it pays the cost of the ride
| in the street car, with it the German
buys his glass of beer and the Amer'-
can pays for the shining of his shoes.
| It is probably not too much TO SAY
! thai the disappearance or the nfck-
! ell" would prove a greater snock TO
| the finances of the nation than almost
| ANYTHING that could happen.
The five cent coin for two genera
/ tons at least has been the fixed pri -
of sc many things that the peo:'n
would be at complete loss how toNpro
| coed without 1t. True. hundreds OF
| thousands of five cent pieces are lost
each year. but that is due largely IN
| the amazing use to which this little
| qutre the coinage OF greater mum
/ Der of "nickels" than of any other
coin.
| 1t has been said that its universal
use as the price of a fare on the street
cars Is the cause of its retention, but
that can hardly be so. as 1t enters
very largely into the price of so manv
other things that it could not be dis
persed with If the price of the car
| fare were changed.
The nickel" Is extensively used 'r
telephone calls. 1t was formerly NOR.
! than now the open sesame of the pop
ular slot machine. for which 1t still
does extensive duty. 1t Is the price
of admission to the fast multiplying
/ pAStuiC oio"S Al pdA u ttie
country. The new fashioned boo,
shining parlor charges nickel" The
saloonkeeper and the baker for years
have gathered their daily harvest al
| these little coins. The soda foun-
tain. growing in popular favor. deals
! mostly in "nickels." Ice cream IN
summertime goes for five cents, anr
the charge for a myriad of things in
the pharmacy and the five cent store
| REQUIRES this coin
| Most smokers would have to uni,
were it not for the nickel" obnox-
ious as the domestic cigars is to many
o. them. The cigarette would cease
! to be the popular smoke 1t Is If the
pr'ce was not five cents. Shoe laces
| would either become luxury at %
higher price or require payment in
pennies.
| Turn which way one will the five
cent piece hobs up at every turn as
! the most necessary coin of the realm.
/ Its discontinuance would inevitably
/ increase the cost OF a thousand things
of everyday life; which no dealer now
! has the daring to change because of
riveted custom, There is no likeli-
| ht.od that the Government will soon
| consider the elimination of this coin
as such action would result in O howl
OF disapproval nation wide.