Evening star., 1921-06-26
Government Mints Issued
Odd Coins in Other Years

authority on old coins contributed III
10 the controversy:
Explanation Of tho term '.hit'' comes fr"m
the reference to thr mn"efNry system n I73S
when the Spanish niiesl ai,liar b's.me the Unit
Of money in the United Mates. A. that time
there l'nlspeneda IN in cidned undfr Spansh an
thority o. p&eee at is1rAr far circulation in M"x.
&c" rprr.entnr fhc eighth part Of dolIsr.
and which WIS cnlrd real - after the name
rf in Sr',ir It hnd he same vnl"o -
the American sh'il'n:. r-ople sIH'ke .f ''Sli H.
ings'' in the rn'tcd States. and measure
values br shiIlin-s long rftrr th'~" coins h i
i:e."me rnrr. IA m"Is employed their eNt-a
help a. ir"ry ~h'linc~ a dar rnd dry goo 's
, and cr rrrics wcrr advertised In ShiliingS
even thaugi payments were made n dollars
AMI
When rdv"rtrrars went 10 fnlif"rnta ani
IL" s"uti'""ste'n - "f re Tntted States
fhey found that -, ,s rralcS' two reals of
III" Mex'ran r'our" WIS enuiralrn' n twt
shill'"-s IN H." Tni;"h States Am"rir,us
, were - w in tak'n- "n I'm 'nish w",ds and ti,"-
ncvr l.arned II say I'd - roal"S. N 'her
could have sad ''dns rerlS'' IL w""id hav"
''"'n "as-r. b"t fi," Snan's', prnnrrr"t on ~
j dos rcnlrs' was ''"s ra---r-'"z" In those
days. when r,or"v nd wnrf fast in the
wcS'. tw' -rraIe two->hsIling pfece wa &
rath"r n tr'finc sum - nnv-a mere ''bi; '
; sod =" til" tr,ar'"nnS. h"r;r- in mind the
cd ''fp-nn~b bt. :ri thr farr-nrnnr-h't r,ir-
rcn,r. ell" dtl,n ios-rcales piece twoh {
, "'rre. u had the value United
+, S.a'cs 'Gnrrtcr'' rnH whom the two-re,ie
, "'er"s paSs"d o'rt "f r'rrnIat Ton. tho namn
two hi, pccrs'' stuck t" the quarter "r
the :I-rent piece. ..
Ona strange form whiri, money
: has taken in tho United S.atns was
that ,called 'shinplsste currenrv.''
T. was so called because of its size.
and "o' because anrbodv u~ed it as
, shir"'ast"rs. "T'lasters' and "poui-
tees" w"r" nopu'ar for the trratmen:
Of m"nv ailments and il is probahl.
that the neople of that period wnrs
familiar with some much advertise !.
plaster. between which and tho papS :
currency they saw resemblance a
finances of the United States by tn.
civil war Metallic money was
scarce Much If ii had hnsn sen,
abroad to pa" debts ""d maintain t'c
credit of the government. Vast
amounts wer" hoayhcd by Americans
The ~overrmen. Rad issued green
backs" ard other fo-r,s Of nnnS,
currency tn take the place Of silver
dollars ard five and ten dollar gold
nieces. and there was such a deman nj
thought practicable to issue notes for
ten cents. twenty-five cents and fifty
cents.
Lack of fractional currency caused
such Inconvenience to trade that many
stran~" kirds r~ 'o'-"n "'ror~r'' "am.
into use Merchants maid ort and az
copied as nay postage Stamps of nj
denominations. Various kinds of but =
tons were given AS small change Ivy
merchants. and thev would later take
these buttons back az pavment for
foods. Large firms issued "sc-int." Or
their own promises to paw" a-d
these private notes ware good with
other firms. Ard so things went. II
was to meet such a situation that
the government issued these small
paper notes. They were about one
third the size of dollar bill. were
printed in different colors. and the
deEomination was ip larg" figures
in the center of the bill. These old
shinplasters are now found main'N.
in museums. and many OF them ar
preserved in old families as souvenirs,