ASSAY LABORATORY OF THE BUREAU OF THE MINT. During the calendar year 1895 there were tested by the assayer of the Bureau 440 gold coins and 536 silver coins, all of which were found to be within the legal requirements as to weight and fineness, the greatest deviation above the standard being 2.2, while the greatest deviation below was 1.4. During the past year the proof gold prepared under the direction of the Bureau has been supplied to the assay offices with great satisfaction, the results obtained on shipments of bullion having been more uniform than when each institution prepared its own proof gold. In the past year several counterfeit silver coins were examined for the Secret Service. These pieces were of much interest, as they are struck from an alloy closely approaching our standard, varying from 867.5 to 940 in fineness. The alloy in every case was copper. The following table shows the number of pieces assayed at the Bureau each month and their average fineness; also the total number assayed from each mint, with the average fineness for the year: NUMBER AND AVERAGE FINENESS OF GOLD AND SILVER COINS OF THE UNITED STATES TESTED AT THE BUREAU OF THE MINT DURING THE YEAR 1895. The work of the Annual Assay Commission is given in a similar table: NUMBER AND AVERAGE FINENESS OF GOLD AND SILVER COINS OF THE UNITED San Francisco. New Orleans. Philadelphia. Months. pieces. Number of Average fine. Number of Average fine- Number of Average fine- ness. ness. ness. pieces. The following Commissioners were appointed by the President, under the provisions of section 3547 of the Revised Statutes, to test the weight and fineness of the gold and silver coins of the coinage of the calendar year 1895 reserved for that purpose by the coinage mints, viz: Hon. O. H. Platt, Finance Committee, United States Senate; Hon. Charles W. Stone, Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, House of Representatives; Prof. Thomas M. Drown, Lehigh University, Pennsylvania; Henry Burnett, esq., Paducah, Ky.; Edward O. Leech, esq., New York; Prof. John W. Mallet, University of Virginia; Prof. Marcus Benjamin, New York; Eugene B. Braden, esq., Helena, Mont.; Andrew Stevenson, esq., Columbus, Ohio; Cabell Whitehead, esq., District of Columbia; John Cadwalader, esq., Philadelphia, Pa.; Charles H. Banes, esq., Philadelphia, Pa.; Douglas H. Thomas, esq., Baltimore, Md.; Prof. William P. Mason, Troy, N. Y.; Hon. W. W. Duffield, District of Columbia; Hon. George F. Baer, Reading, Pa. The Commission met at Philadelphia on February 12, 1896, together with the following ex officio Commissioners: James H. Eckels, esq., Comptroller of the Currency, and Herbert G. Torrey, assayer of the United States assay office, New York. The committee on counting reported: The packages containing the pieces reserved by the several mints for the trial of coins, in accordance with section 3539, Revised Statutes, were delivered to us by the superintendent of the mint at Philadelphia. The number of coins corresponded with the record kept by the Director of the Mint of all transcripts sent him by the several superintendents. The quantities of coin reserved at the several mints for the purposes of the Commission were as follows: The committee on assaying reported: In compliance with section 3547 of the Revised Statutes, we have taken samples of the coins reserved from time to time at the United States mints at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans for assay. These samples represent the various deliveries made by the coiners to the superintendents of the several mints during the calendar year 1895. The results of the assays made of the individual coins, and of the same in mass, are given in the following schedules. From these it will be seen that the greatest excess in the assay value of the gold coinage, as tested, above standard at the different mints (the limit of tolerance being one-thousandth) is, at Philadelphia.. New Orleans.. 900. 1 The greatest deficiency below standard (the limit of tolerance being one-thousandth) is, at Philadelphia.. New Orleans.. 899.8 899.6 899.7 The greatest excess in silver coins above standard (the limit of tolerance being three-thousandths) is, at San Francisco.. Philadelphia.... New Orleans.. 901. 1 902.5 201.6 The greatest deficiency below standard (the limit of toleranco being threethousandths) is, at— Philadelphia... San Francisco. New Orleans.. 899. 1 899.1 698.2 The assay committee also tested the quartation of silver and the lead used in the assay of gold bullion and found them free from gold. The acid used in the humid assay of silver was found to be free from silver, and also from chlorine. The balances were also tested and found to be correct. The committee therefore deem the assays exhibited in the accompanying schedules to be trustworthy. The committee on counting reported: The packages containing the pieces reserved by the several mints for the trial of coins, in accordance with section 3539, Revised Statutes, were delivered to us by the superintendent of the mint at Philadelphia. The number of coins corresponded with the record kept by the Director of the Mint of all transcripts sent him by the several superintendents. The quantities of coin reserved at the several mints for the purposes of the commission were as follows (1) Gold coins from the mint at Philadelphia, 3,088 in number, of the value of $35,475. (2) Silver coins from the mint at Philadelphia, 3,505 in number, of the value of $1,061.90. (3) Gold coins from the mint at San Francisco, 1,309 in number, of the value of $23,985. (4) Silver coins from the mint at San Francisco, 2,198 in number, of the value of $754.25. (5) Gold coins from the mint at New Orleans, 100 in number, of the value of $1,000. (6) Silver coins from the mint at New Orleans, 2,736 in number, of the value of $1,040.50. In all, 12,936 coins, of the aggregate value of $63,316.65, as set forth in detail on a subsequent page. The verification of the number of coins being completed, the committee on weighing and assaying each selected such coins as were required. In the report of those committees will be found an account of the disposition of these coins. The committee on weighing reported That they have examined sample coins, selected at random from those reserved by the several mints, as follows: MINT AT PHILADELPHIA. 119 gold coins, of which 95 were weighed in mass. MINT AT SAN FRANCISCO. 65 gold coins, of which 43 were weighed in mass. MINT AT NEW ORLEANS. 40 gold coins, of which 28 were weighed in mass. The weighing of the single pieces was made with a balance by Troemuer, of Philadelphia, and the weights employed were provided by the Director of the Mint, who stated to the committee that the same were of the true standard of value as fixed by law, and that they had been carefully examined by the United States superintendent of weights and measures, and were correctly related to the troy pound of 1827. The mass weighings were made upon the large Saxton balance of the mint. The committee examined the weights ordinarily employed in the mint, and found them to be in accordance with the usual interpretation of the standard prescribed by law. The details of the weighings, as shown in the following tables, indicato but slight deviation from the statutory standard weight, and the coins were all within the legal tolerance. The committee on weighing pronounces the examination of the weights of the coinage of the several mints during the year 1895 to be satisfactory. The result of the annual test is contained in the following resolution adopted by the commission: Resolved, That the assay commission, having examined and tested the reserved coins of the several mints of the United States for the year 1895, and it appearing that these coins do not differ from the standard fineness and weight by a greater quantity than is allowed by law, the trial is considered and hereby reported satisfactory and adopted unauimously. NOTE. The Director of the Mint exhibited to the assay commissioners a duplicate in brass of the original troy pound made in London in 1827 and procured for the use of the mint through the United States minister. England in 1758 appointed a commission to establish a unit of weight, and the copy now in the possession of the mint is the exact duplication of the original weight of 5,760 grains, established by that commission and reasserted by the commission of 1838. The weight is kept in a strong box, locked with two keys, one of which remains with the Director of the Mint at Washington and the other in the custody of the superintendent of the mint at Philadelphia. The committee on weighing of the assay commission used this weight to compare the accuracy of the working copies of the weight used in the mint. MINT OF THE UNITED STATES AT PHILADELPHIA. The number of deposits of gold and silver, including redeposits, at the mint at Philadelphia during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, aggregated 4,559. The weight and value of gold and silver deposited during the year were as follows: The weight and coining value of domestic gold and silver coin included in the deposits were as follows: The weight and value of bars manufactured were as follows: During the year there were transferred from the Treasury for recoinage 44,013.190 standard ounces of uncurrent domestic gold coin, of the value of $818,850.04 in new full-weight coins, and 1,811,542.35 standard ounces of worn and uncurrent domestic silver coins, of the value of $2,253,862.95 in new subsidiary coins. |