Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-09-10
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fined to tho making of coins at this Mint.
We make medals also when ordered to do
so by the Government. and We manufactured
all the dies for the war medals which were
issued by the United States Government as
a consequence of the World War. We made
the dies, for example. for the Victory medal
and for the cross and other honor medals
awarded by the Government to our soldiers
and sailors.
The Gold Coins
"While the largest number of pieces
coined by this Mint are the silver pieces, In
consequence Of the far greater use of silver
pieces In general circulation. we also coin
the gold pieces here.
''The largest gold piece in general use Is
the double eagle. or twenty dollar gold
piece. However, we coined some fifty
dollar gold pieces for the Panama Pacific
Exposition in 1915. This was special
coinage and it was not the intention
OF the Government to put those pieces into
general circulation There was not very
large number of them issued and today they
bring n premium from the coin collectors.
These pieces were issued partly in COM
m"moration Of the old fifty. dollar gold pieces
formerly made in the San Francisco Mint
from California gold. These pieces were
octaSonal and have long since gone out of
use. In fact. they were rarely seen even in
the East during the time of their circulation.
''Thc two and -one half dollar gold piece
is not now coined, but it has not been dis
sued taking it from the list of coins of the
United States.
The MINIS Collection
zone of the most valuable possessions of
the Philadelphia Mint is the collection of
coins which we have here. We have a
specimen of every coin ever issued by the
United States, even having one of the famous
1872 dollars, of which there are now said
to be only two in existence.
But our collection not only comprises
every coin Of the United States but we have
also most of the coins issued by almost every
other country in the world. 1t Is doubtful
II there is another collection in the world so
comprehensive as ours, and there is cer-
tainly none in the United States to compare
with It. Unfortunately. this collection Is
| now closed to visitors, as, for that matter,
| the entire Mint is. This order was made
necessary by the war, and conditions have
not yet, sutticiently adjusted themselves as
| to enable the Treasury Department in again
allowing visitors in the Mint.
! 1--WE have also complete set of the
| medals Of the Presidents of the United
States, which were made here and the dies
for them are in the stock of the Mint
Coming for Other Countries
''As ] said, we do quite an amount of
coming for other countries here. We are
paid for 1t. 1t is true. but it rs done rather
as an accommodation. The PRINCIPAL coun.
tries for which we do this work are the
| South American countries, although we have
also done some silver coinage for Siam and
some for Costa Rca. The dies for all this
work are made here from the master dies,
which are made in the country desiring the
coinage.
1.-THE yearly output of the PHILADELPHIA
Mint. as of the others in this country. huc-
tuates. The year 1919 was the biggest in
the history of the Mint. Last year (102O)
was also large one but the Indications are
that 1921 will be rather small
"The Philadelphia Mint also does cor. .
siderable recoinage. When coins are mu-
tilated or when they become worn smooth
they are taken up by the Treasury Depart =
ment and the Federal Reserve banks and oro
sent to us We smelt and recast them info
bars, which are stored in our silver reserve
and coined upon demand from Washington.
The coins are usually sent TO us when
Sl5,OOO or $4,000 has accumulated ot
Washington The Federal Reserve banks
send it to us usually in smaller lots and
more frequently.
There has not been great deal of gold
coinage recently. There was n little coined
in 1919. but, as was to be expected durIng
the war, all the gold that came TO the Treas
ury Department or to the banks was held in
reserve, and not much Of it has as vet been
nut into general circulation -