THE MUSEUM. 
27 
IjMftuatfc*. 
THE FRANKLIN CENT. 
In the year 1787 the first United States cent was 
coined, which is now known as the “ Franklin,” 
“ Ring,” or “ Fugio ” cent. A number of dies were 
made and used in coining this piece ; exactly how 
many it is difficult to say. Mr. Horatio N. Rust, 
now of South Pasadena, Cal., had several of these 
in his possession at one time, and furnishes the fol¬ 
lowing information regarding them : “ I had heard 
that the coinage was done in New Haven, Conn., 
and I determined to try to find the dies. After a 
long day’s fruitless search I found myself at East 
Haven, where I continued my inquiry of a collector. 
He replied that he had never heard of the dies, but 
that the remnants of the estate of Brown & Platt 
had belonged to a hardware house on Chapel street. 
I hastened there, and as I opened the door I saw 
the die on a desk, used as a paper-weight. I soon 
found that they had two and a half pairs of them, 
and they told me that they once had three pairs, but 
had loaned one, which had not been returned. I 
later saw an odd die in the hands of an employe of 
the Wilson Sewing Machine Company, at Bridge¬ 
port, possibly the one lost. 
“ I learned from Ex-Governor Hall, of Vermont, 
that part of that coinage was done by Brown & Platt 
at Brandon, Vt., probably by contract. I have also 
been told that B. & P. were bankrupt, and, under 
the law, could not be arrested while on their own 
premises; so they conducted the coinage at home.” 
A pair of the dies mentioned above passed into 
the hands of Mr. J. Colvin Randall, of Philadelphia, 
and are now in the possession of Mr. W. Elliot 
Woodward, of Boston, Mass. 
A collector in Philadelphia owns a Franklin cent 
struck in silver. This piece is a very rare type, but 
three or four being known to exist. 
The American Journal of Numismatics, for April, 
contains an interesting paper, by Alexander Del 
Mar, on the “ History of Money in China,” accom¬ 
panied by a lithographic plate, representing six coins, 
ranging from B. C. 2257, to A. D. 9. The speci¬ 
mens figured are of the bell, knife or scimeter, and 
the key shape, all curious and interesting forms. A 
large collection of similar pieces, to some of which 
the date 2852 B. C. is ascribed, are now on exhi¬ 
bition in the Pennsylvania Museum, in Philadel¬ 
phia; they are known as “ cloth,” “ knife,” “ horse” 
and “ key ” coins. 
Collector and (JMkctu'ms. 
The Hon. W. W. Randall recently returned from 
the United States of Colombia with the largest col¬ 
lection of antiquities ever formed in that country, 
for which he paid the owner, Senor Ramos Ruiz, 
the sum of $25,000. The collection contains 1000 
specimens of pottery, 1000 objects of gold, and many 
of wood, stone and copper. It includes hundreds 
of curiously carved images, implements and orna¬ 
ments; elaborately moulded earthenware vessels, 
calendar stones, and many unique objects. This 
collection is now in New York. 
Mr. J. Colvin Randall, of Philadelphia, owns the 
largest and most complete collection of United States 
gold coins in the world. Of some dates, notably 
the 1795 half eagle, he has as many as half a dozen 
varieties, which collectors generally do not know 
exist. 
Probably the largest private collection of Egyptian 
antiquities in America is owned by Mr. James 
Douglas, Jr., of Phoenixville, Pa. It consists of 
antique pottery, figurines, bronze ornaments and im¬ 
plements, inscribed stones, mosaics, mummified ani¬ 
mals, and a fine mummy case. 
In mentioning the various philatelic collections 
belonging to Mr. Wm. A. Jefferis, in our last number, 
one of the most important was inadvertently omitted. 
This is a collection of postal cards of the world, 
numbering 1100, all of them unused. It is, probably, 
the most complete and valuable one in the U. S. 
