6oo POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



these circulated freely through the South, and they were brought 

 to the United States Mint in Philadelphia for deposit and remelting 

 in quantities. The assayer reported in 1842 that the $10 gold 

 pieces of T. Reid weighed 248 grains, contained 942 parts of pure 

 gold in 1,000 parts of metal, and the intrinsic value slightly ex- 

 ceeded the nominal value, being worth $10.06. These coins are now 

 quite rare. 



In 1831 Christopher Bechtler, of Rutherfordton, N. C, followed 

 Mr. Reid's example on a larger scale, and in a few years he had issued 

 several million dollars' worth of gold coins of denominations of $10, 

 $5, $2.50, and $1.* 



In 1842 the Mint assay ers stated that " coining is still carried on 

 by Bechtler, although there is a branch United States Mint less than 

 eighty miles distant." This was located at Charlotte, N. C. 



In 1851 the assay ers reported that " several of the private issues 

 of gold coins from California are close imitations of the national 

 coin; some assay nearly up to the nominal value, but many fall be- 



$5 gold piece. California gold. S. M. V., $5 gold piece. Pike's Peak gold. Clark 



1850. & Co., Denver, 1S60. 



low." A $10 piece of the Pacific Company only yielded $7.86 in 

 gold. A lot of different denominations aggregating $562.50, nominal 

 value, yielded at the Mint in Philadelphia $479.20. 



One interesting gold coin, a $50 piece (some were octagonal), 

 issued by Augustus Humbert, United States assayer at San Francisco, 

 yielded the full nominal value. All of these private issues have 

 now been stopped, and strict laws have been passed punishing any 

 attempt to imitate the coins of the nation; even the toy money 

 formerly made for children of gilded paper has been prohibited by 

 the Government authorities. 



The National Coinage. — The Mint was established in Phila- 

 delphia in 1792 and in its first year issued pattern pieces only; coin- 

 ing of copper cents and half cents commenced regularly in 1793, and 

 stamping of the other denominations of money, as already named, in 

 1794 and 1795. 



Many persons believe that the so-called " dollar of the daddies," 

 weighing 412^ grains (nine tenths fine), having a ratio to gold of " 16 



* In 1840 Mr. Bechtler stated that the amount of his coinage to date was $2,241,840. 



