The Washington herald., 1912-05-11
Fantastic Coins TO
Grace q. S. Currency
Three-cent Pieces Nth Holes in the Center and
Half Pennies With ScaIoped Edges Pro-
posed BY Treasury Officials

Three-cent pieces with holes in the
center and k-cent pieces with escalloped
edges viii soon be jingling IN the pock-
cts Of the citizens Of the United States.
II the Buckley bill, which authorizes q
new novel, and fantastic coinage, be-
comes a law.
Secretary OF the Treasury Macveagh.
Assistant Secretary Andrew. and Direc-
tor OF the Mint Roberts have had their
the new coinage came up. and as re-
suit some very remarkable forms of
sheAels. pesos, rupees, dubloons. rubles,
and ducats, to say nothing OF liyres,
marks. farthings, yen. yipH. and thalers.
not TO mention gazsttes. anna. simoleons.
copecka, and pfennigs. have been closely
examined by the eminent coinage ex-
perts and their surfaces searched for
IDEAS concerning tentative designs for
those new atoms Of legal tender, the
half penny and the 3-cent piece.
Nickel TO BE Changed.
The coinage OF American money has al
ways been conducted along very con-
servative lines, but since the parade OF
suffragists In New York last Saturday
the department heads have decided that
the country is ready for something new
and original, and have set out TO startle
the proletariat by scattering In their
midst bits Of specie which will feel about
as much al home in the same pocket
with a good, old-fashioned dime as q
blind fsh on the top Of the Great Pyra-
mid
decidedly things are looking up for
those who have a propensity toward the
new and Individual And on top Of Il
all the wen known copper penny Is 10
undergo a change or clothing. IL Is 20
be dressed IN the same sort OF a gown
as that which now arrays the nickel.
The composition or the new pennies Will
be 70 per cent copper and . per cent
nickel. which is Identical with the COM
position OF the nickel.
The nickel itself Is going TO be decor
ated IN a new ana strange manner. A
long time ago when Republicans were
Wings and the Democrats were Repub-
rcans, Congress enacted into law a nil
providing that the Secretary OF the Treas
ury might, IN MS wisdom. authorize a
change in the design OF coins every
twenty-five years. Inc emo or such
period has Just arrived ana Secretary
MaeVeagh has decided that the nickels
viii look better II given a new design.
Yesterday Director OF the Mint Rob-
erts said that things loked very much as
II the faithful Goddess OF Liberty would
be rudely pushed OF the nickel by buf-
falo. and added that Il Is possible an
Indian may get up enough gumption to
Chamber up on the other side OF the
coin. The department heads are seri-
ously considering authorizing a nickel de-
sign with a buffalo and an Indian for or
namentation.
Coins ON Exhibition.
Director Roberts had dummies OF the
new half penny and scent pieces In his
once yesterday. The haIf-cent piece is
a little smaller than q dime and its edge
runs up and down like a roller coaster
In undulating waves that resemble the
Lower Chesapeake Bay on a windy day.
The scent piece Is a handsome coin.
II Is a trifie larger than the nickel and
has a neat little hole in the center
Somebody remarked 10 Mr.. Roberts yes
terdsy that when the coin was on dis
play IL Il was put IN circulation Il would
make all the Cinnamon so homesick that
there would be no further need for a
Chinese exclusion act.
The reason for the hole is that the j.
cent piece being in color the same and
nearly the same in size as the nickel
the perforation is needed to enable the
possessor to see the difference at a
glance.
The half-cent piece. with its scaIIoped
edges, is copied from the anna, a coin
OF India.
]. W. Fraser. Of New York. is working