The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-17
U. s. CONS

Mutilated United States coins are
not redeemable.
Worn and mutilated United States
gold coins and mutilated United
States silver coins will be purchased
by the Mint and the gold or silver con-
tanned therein paid for.
Worn United States silver and mi
nor (nickel, bronze and copper) coins
which have not been mutilated in
any manner, will be redeemed by the
treasurer of the United States, Wash
ington, D. c., or one of the assistant
tSeasurers of the United States.
Mutilated United States minor coins
will be purchased by the Mint, at a
price fixed from time to time by the
director of the Mint, if presented in
lots Of not less than one pound Of any
denomination.
A troy ounce Of pure gold is always
worth $20.67, but the value of sill
:.er varies from day to day.
The Mint does not buy or sell old
coins or paper money.
The Mint does not undertake to
pass upon the value of character of
coins or paper money, or decide ques-
tons In numismatics, whether refer
ring to the money Of the United States
or foreign countries. Application for
such information should be made to
collectors or dealers in coins or edi-
tors of coin magazines.
The mint will not furnish the names
of coin dealers or of anyone interest
ed in the collection of coins.
The mint can supply only coins of
the current year, or possibly, early
in the year, those of the preceding
year.
The mint has no pattern or expert
mental pieces for sale
The government pays no premium
for the return of any Of its coins or
money.
= The mint does not publish and can
not supply any book or list giving the
prices Of old coins or paper money,
nor any printed matter descriptive of
the mint building or the coinage ope-
rations.
&. New coins cannot be- struck until au-
thorized by act of congress.
When a new design for an old coin
is adopted the coinage of the old de-
sign ceases. and new design cannot
be changed for twenty-five years, ex-
cept by an act of congress,
There is no gold in any Of the five
cent nickel or one-cent bronze pieces
issued by the United States
The government has not recalled
any of it's coins.
u Trade dollars are worth only the
value, at market rates, of the silver
contained in them.
The coinage minis of the United
States are at Philadelphia, San Fran
cisco and Denver.
Coins struck at the Philadelphia
mint have no mint mark" Those
coined at all other minis of the Unit
ed States are distinguished by a small
letter on the reverse, near the bottom
tom, with the exception of the dou-
BILE eagle with standing figure of Lib
erty and the Lincoln cent, which have
the letter on the diverse (head). These
letters are &C" for Charlotte, N. c.,
discontinued in 1861; "CC',' for Carson
City. New, discontinued in 1898; Cd"
for Dahlonega, Ca, discontinued in
1891. and for Denver, Col, since 1906;
20" for New Orleans, La, discontin-
ued in 1908, and 50 for San Fran
cisco, Cal. These are all the mint
marks to be found on United States
coins. The other small letters to be
seen on these coins are the initials
of the name of the designer or en-
graver.
The statements in the newspapers
that the government offers pre-
mitm for set of coins upon which
the mint marks spell certain words
are Ihoaxes, as there are always one
or more letters in the word for which
these are no mint marks"
1t is usual each year for the Phila-
delphia mint to strike all denomina-
tions of the coins then authorized by
law and to issue special strikes of
these coins, known as proof coins, for
collectors. Owing to the designs of
the gold, silver and minor coins not
being adapted to the striking of proof
coins readily distinguishable from the
regular issue, the manufacture of
proof coins has been discontinued.
The mint will supply a small mum
Der Of such coins as have been struck
for circulation during the current
year if an amount to cover the face
value of the coins, return postage and
registry fee is sent. Requests for lar
ger amounts Of new coin must be
made to the treasurer of the United
States, Washington, D. G.
The coinage Of the following ceas-
ed in the years named: One-half and
one cent, copper. in 1857; one cent,
nickel, in 1854; one-half dime and
three cents, silver, and two cents;
bronze, in 1878; twenty cents, silver in
1878; trade dollar, in 1888; 81 and SO,
gold and three cents, nickel, in 1888;
standard silver dollar (Bland dollar)
in 1904. The Columbian half-dollar
was coined in 1892 and 1898. and the
Isabella quarter-dollar in 1893. The
Lafayette silver dollar was struck in
1893, the date on the coin $4,000 be-
ing that Of the unwilling of the me-
mortal. The special gold dollars for
the Louisiana purchase exposition
were coined in 1902 and 1903, but have |
no coinage date upon them. The |
Lewis and Clark exposition gold dol |
lar was struck in 1904 and 1905. The
ffty-dol1ar pieces Ground and octagon-I
all, the quarter-eagle and the one !
dollar, in gold and the alf-dollar in |
ton, were coined in 1915. The Nc
Kinley gold dollar was struck in 1916 |
With the exception Of the $50 gold |
pieces made for the Panama-Pacifc |
exposition, the double eagle, or $40 |
gold piece, Is the largest coin ever is |
sued by the United States and the |
81 sold piece is the smallest gold coin.
Gold, In almost all forms. is pur-
chased by the mint in lots OF not less
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