6o2 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



and tlie total issue of Bland dollars, from 1878 to the close of the 

 fiscal year 1897, was 451,993,742. 



The following table shows the total coinage value of all denomina- 

 tions of silver coin from the establishment of the United States Mint 

 in 1792 to the end of the last fiscal year, June 30, 1897: 



^ \l9i-l to February 12, 1873 $8,031,238 00 



'"^''^ "/ 1878 to June 30. 1897 451,993,742 00 



Trade dollars 35,965,924 00 



Half dollars 134,033,195 00 



Columbian half dollars 2,501,052 50 



Quarter dollars 52,395,052 00 



Columbian quarter dollars 10,005 75 



Twenty-cent pieces 271,000 00 



Ten-cent pieces 29,428,613 90 



Five-cent pieces 4,880,219 40 



Three-cent pieces 1,282,087 20 



Total $720,792,129 75 



It thus aj)pears that the Bland dollars coined since 1877 exceed in 

 coining value all the other issues of silver money from the establish- 

 ment of the Mint in 1792 to the present day. 



Although Congress appropriated a sum of money ($40,000) to 

 " pay the freight " on Bland dollars from the mints or subtreas- 

 uries to any part of the country, the Government has never suc- 

 ceeded in getting more than a small proportion of the vast accumu- 



$50 gold piece. 



Augustus Humbert, United States assayer of gold, California, 1855. 

 (887 thousandths.) 



lation of Bland dollars into circulation. It became necessary, there- 

 fore, to construct enormous storage vaults of steel, some of which will 

 hold more than one hundred million of these dollars. The deprecia- 

 tion in market value of silver in the Bland dollars and uncoined bars 

 is estimated to be about $200,000,000. 



The dropping of the original 412^-grain silver dollar from the 

 law of 1873 was purjDosely done in order to make a place for the 



