The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-10-28

i u. S. MiNTS MAKE
4 OTHER NATIONS COINS :


The minis of United States do a.
good e Of business Of which the
public at large knows little or moth
! Ing writes George e. Roberts, for
merly director of the United States
mint, in the Youths Companion. We
not only manufacture metal money for.
our own use, but we make coins by
the millions for other countries.
We make their coins for them at
net cost, and make not a penny of
profit on the work. Even a small
mint can hardly be started for less
tina $500, 600. Such a plant could
turn out in a few months enough
coins to last q little country for many
years, and then Of course would have
to close. 1t is much cheaper to send
an order for the work to the treas
ury Of the United States.
The first work we did of that kind
was for Venezuela, which in 1876 or
dered 100000 worth of 1-cent and
2-cent pieces. Our mex contract,
which was made with the government
of the Hawaiian islands. called for
100000 silver dollars, 500, 900 half dol
lars, 700 600 quarters n 10000
dimes. We have made quantities Of
so-called silver coins for Santon Do
m1ngo, which contain only 35 per
cent of silver to SIS per cent of copper
and nickel. In 1898 we coined 1926, ia
SUCH pleCeS-ndll collars, quarters anO
dimes-and in the following rear &c.
0S9 more. We have also made money
for Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico.
The government that orders the
coins always furnishes the master
dies" for minting them. These mas
ter dies" cost from 5000 to $3.50 a
pair; from them the ordinary working
dies are made at the mint.
The mint in San Francisco now
makes all Of the coins for the Philip
pine islands.
All United States coins are now
to the government on 1-cent and s.
cent pieces amounts annually to about
$500, 600.
The scent pieces is in reality only
~one-fourth nickel; the remaining
three-fourth is copper. The bronze
cent is 95 per cent copper, 8 per cent
tln, and 2 per cent zinc-an alloy
adopted because it is very durable,
and because it retains polish better
than pure copper does.
United States mintS furnish proof"
coins at a little more than their face
value to anyone who chooses to ask
for them. Proof coins are stamped
with hand presses from carefully bur-
nished dies, and the blanks used are
also FURNISHED. hus the coins have
a mirror-like polish, and are very
beautiful. If kept in little buckskin
bags-as collectors usually keep them
they will retain their beauty in
definitely. But you can get such
proof coins only Of the current year,
Tor all dies used at the minis are de-
stroyed annually.
When the government intends to
mini a coin Of a new design it usually
strikes off experimental coins from the
various designs that have been sub
mitted. The experimental coins are
then put for consideration before the
committees on Weights and measures
Of the two houses of congress. The
committees, after advising with the
secretary of the treasury and the di-
rector of the mint, choose the one they,
like best.
Those pattern" or trial" pieces are
made Of all sorts of metals. Thus, In
these experiments the mint has turned
out SIS, SO, and $50 gold coins in tin,
brass, copper aluminium. and various
compositions. Such pieces ara of course
highly valued by collectors. who are
glad to pay for a double eagle Of tin
or copper perhaps 10 times it's weight
in gold. The treasury formerly sold
the trial pieces at high figures. but