The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1919-11-28
OUR COLD PIECES
They Once Figured In an Odd
Way In the IeWeIry Trade.
WENT INTO THE MELTING POT.


Purposes Alarmed Uncle Sam, and
He Quickly Cured the Evil b. "Pep-
peringn the Coins With Iridium.
An old time manufacturing jeweler
tells how the United States govern
ment stopped some forty odd years ago
the melting up Of twenty dollar gold
pieces by persons who wished to use
the metal in the manufacture of gold
jewelry.
In those days it was the custom of
many OF the jewelry makers to use
these coins instead of buying fine gold,
as matter OF convenience. So they
went TO bank and got twenty dollar
gold pieces enough, or ten dollar ones, for
that matter, TO supply sufficient metal
for the work in hand. The gold pieces
being % carats fine. "a carats being
absolutely pure gold. 1t was not diff
cult for the jewelers. to melt them up
and add the necessary alloys TO pro-
dnce the degree Of fineness desired for
the jewelry they were going to make.
However" says the jeweler. lit
was not long after this practice be-
came more or less general that the
government authorities began to won
der what was becoming of the twenty
dollar gold coins. They began missing
the ten dollar ones. too. but the dis
appearance of the former was by far
the more rapid. The officials did not
think that the people of the country
were boarding the gold. because most
of the smaller coins remained in cir
culation. So quiet investigation was
begun. and it was not long before 1t
was discovered that the makers of
gold jewelry were melting them up
for trade purposes.
Having found the cause, it was not
difficult for the officials to effect cure.
They did it by 'peppering' the twenty
dollar coins with iridium, which is
not altogether unlike black emery IN
the crude state. requiring a heat of
3.542 degrees r. to melt 1t. Gold, on,
the other hand. can be melted at 1913
degrees F. From this it is easy to see
that the unsuspecting manufacturer,
melting up gold pieces at the temper
melted specks of iridium in his metal
when he let it cool This made trouble
when the metal was worked up.
'At the time this was being done
there was great vogue for fine Etrus-
can work In solid gold. which required
a perfectly smooth surface in order to
be produced properly. Imagine the dis
may of the jewelers.. therefore. when
they found the much needed smooth
surface dotted here and there with lit.
tie pepper-like specks of iridium. To
leave them in meant that the decora-
tive work could not be done properly.
and to take them out meant leaving
the piece pockmarked with tiny holes.
1t was not long before the gold pieces.
whether they contained iridium or not.
were eyed with suspicion by the man.
ufacturers. who then secured their
metal from other sources.
Another way in which iridium caus-
ed some trouble for the gold jewelry
trade had its birth In the assay Office.
While'it was not often the case. 1t was
not rare thing up until about ten
years ago to find a sprinkling of iri.
dunn in the fine gold purchased from
the government assayer While this
might possibly have been avoided BY a
little more care on the part of the per
sons who had charge OF preparing the
scrap metal for refining, it was gener-
ally regarded In the trade as acciden-
tai. 1t happened because the clips and
filings that were turned In for refining
by the makers OF gold pens contained
tiny bits of iridium, which because OF
its hardness is used for tipping the
pens. This does not happen any more.
Twenty dollar gold pieces figured in
another interesting way in the old days
In the jewelry trade, but in a way that
affected the trade much more indirect
ly than directly. Knowing that good
price could be had for scrap gold from
the refiners. the gold probably finding
an ultimate purchaser in the jewelry
trade. INSCRIPTIONS persons had sew.
eral ways Of obtaining this scrap and
still leaving enough of the coins to pass
them on unsuspecting tradesmen and