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Show OLD AND NEW COINS. Interesting Facts About the Coinage at the Different Mints. Tho director of the mint Is called on to answer such a wide range of (nations concerning the values or old and new coins and medals that ho bus found It necessary to Issue circulars covering maters mat-ers of this sort. They tell some Interesting Interest-ing facts. It appears that tho mint docs not buy olll coins or paper money, except somo rare colonial coius In line condition which are desired for Ihe mint cabinet' Mutilated or uncurront I'nlted States gold and silver coin Is purchased as bullion. The mint has no pattern pieces for sale. The. Government pays no premium for the return of any of Its coins or paper inoiuy. New coins cannot bo struck until author-led author-led by an act of Congress. Tho mint .supplies .sup-plies United StateB coins only, and not of any past dutc. Thc fbO gold piece and the half-dollar and quarter-dollar pieces In gold were struck by private parties on the California .coast during the "49 period, ai.d not by tho United States Government Tho colnago of thc following coins ceased Jn tho years named: Half and 1 cent, copper, ln lii"; 1 cent, nickel, 1SGI; half dime nnd o cents silver, and 1! cents bronze, ln 1.Y73; V) cents, silver. 1S7S; trade-dollars, trade-dollars, liS3; ono dollar and three dollars, gold, and 3 cenls, nickel. $S9. Tho Columbian Co-lumbian half dollar w;ib coined In ifcii and tho Isabella quarter ln 1S93. The L,a"-fayctto L,a"-fayctto dollar was Btruck In 1S33, the date on tho coin, 1900. being that of tho unveiling un-veiling of tho memorial Thcro aro certain markings on overy United Slates coin that enable thc placo of its coinago to be located. Those struck at the Philadelphia mint havo no mint mark, but those struck at all other mints aro distinguished by a small lettor on tho reverse, near the bottom. Theso lottcru aro C for Charlotte. N. C , discontinued In 1EG1; CC for Caroon City. Nov., discontinued discontin-ued In 1W3; D for Dahlonogn, Ga., discontinued discon-tinued in 1M1; O for Now Orleans and S for Snn Francisco Tho coins of thc United Unit-ed States now authorized by law arc In gold, doublo eagle; in sliver, half dollar quarter dollar and dime; minor. 5 cents' ulckol, and 1 cent, bronze. A parson may buy a proof sot of gold coins from the mint for S3S.W and a proof sot of silver and minor coins for Sl.H), When the business busi-ness of the mints Is Black, medals may bo struck from dies furnished by Individuals public Institutions and Incorporated societies so-cieties at a charge sufficient to cover the coot of tho operation and tho vuluo of the motal. Brooklyn Englo, |