The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-08-16

The announcement from Washing
ton that 445,O00,000 one cent pieces
were coined by the government In
the fiscal year 1918 lends interest to
a compilation by the National City
Bank of New York regarding the
country's growing demand for these
little coins, of which the 1918 output
was the largest on record.
The banks statement on this sub
1ect shows that the number Of one
cent coins manufactured by the Mints
of the United States from 1893 to the
end Of the fiscal year 1918 was g.
469,OO0,0OO, while the number issued
in the last six years is, in round num-
bers, one billion. The number of one
cent pieces coined never touched the
100000 line in any year prior to
1907; the annual average from that
time to 1915 was nearly 10O,o0O,0OO
per year; in 1917, 21S, 100000 and in
1918 445.22s, 2O1 pieces.
The number % one cent pieces coin
ed from the beginning Of the govern
ment to date would, even If all were
in existence and circulation allow for
each individual about 33 one-cenA
pieces. OF course, the number actu-
ally available is far less than this, FOR
It is quite probable that out Of the
3,463,0O0,000 one-cent pieces coined
by the government not more than
about 100000, 900 are now in exist
ence, or at least in circulation, MAX
ing the present average per capita for
all people of the United States Of
about % one-cent pieces.
Coinage Of one-cent pieces, began
with the first operation Of the MINIS,
the total number coined in the first
period for which details are available
(1793-5) having been 1,066,033 and
in that same period there were coined
142,524 half-cent pieces. The half
cent piece seemed to gain in popular
ity in the Immediately subsequent per-
Tod, for the number coined in the
period 1804-10 was about as great as
the number Of one-cent pieces coin
ed. From that time on however the
half-cent piece apparently lost pop
ularity, for the MINIS soon suspended
their manufacture, and in 1850 their
coinage terminated. The number of
one-cent pieces coined averaged less
than 10 millions per annum down to
about 1855 when there came q rapid
increase, the number coined in 1857
being about 10 millions, in 1850 over
20 millions In 1854 So millions. Fol-
lowing the close of the Civil War the
number again greatly declined being
in 1870 less than 6 millions, in 1880
80 millions, in 1890 Al millions, in
1900 CT millions, in 1906 90 milliVns,
crossing the 100 million line in 1907,
and making the highest record in 1910
"A 4 h. 4oka ~
fiscal year 1915 was 1890 17; 1917,
213,501, 900 and in 1918 45,628, 600
All one cent pieces now issued by
the government are Of bronze. In
the very early periods they were OF
copper, then for a comparatively
short time of nickel, though the pro-
portion which the copper or nickel
K coins formed of the total is very
small, the entire number of copper
one-cent coins iss1Rd having been
156,2S9, 900, nickel 200, 772, 900, bronze
3,105,S41,000
The minor coinage" of the United
States, including in that term the
half cent, one cent, two cent, three
cent and five cent coins, aggregates
about billions in number. OF the
one cent coins the total number a.
already indicated is about 3.463,000,-
900. of which about 200, 900, 900 were
nickel and 1856 900, 900 copper; of the
two cent coins there were issued AS.
sol, 700; of the three cent coins 81,
$500 made Of nickel and 42,770tO0 OF
made of silver; and of the five cen
pieces the total number issued ha!
been of nickel 100000, 900 and o.
silver 97,604,000.
All token" coins issued by the gov
eminent are now Of bronze or nickel
all q, of the one cent pieces being o
bronze, all Of the five cent pieces mic.
KEEL. The use Of silver for the manu-
facture Of the minor coins was dis
continued in 1874 +
The face value of the token coin.
issued by the government (the on
cent pieces and five cent nickels) is O.
course much greater than the value o