Show K KNOW UTAH HI NB SA By ALBERT T F. F PHILIPS There was wis a a. time in Utah when people would not take tako gold old dust when bart barter and trade W was in consid It was wa too inconvenient and all scales were not accurate Small change subsidiary coins were netto not net notto to be had and the tax collector they had those collectors col col- lectors In In tho old days was instructed to give duo bills for sums less th than n 1 and redeem them m when presented pre pro in sufficient amount Thc need for tor currency In n fact had been felt ever over the pioneers invaded the ho valley l as S the currency had been blankets grain and 8 seeds 15 T To meet this emergency bank bills for fort 51 71 t issued These Theo were dated January 1 1 1849 and the they bore tho signature of or Young Heber C. C KImball and Thomas Thoma Bullock clerk S Mention of or this fact is brought out by a 3 letter leller of or Secretary of or tho the Tr Treasury Mellon of or the treasury department submitted to the house committee on coinage which submitted a. a bill containing a a. draft of or ora a i bill to provide for the discontinuance of or tho the coinage of or gold pieces He Ho p points out In his letter that tho the 50 gold piece is not used or or- required In commerce and is one for tor which there Is no demand demandy by y the public except during the Christmas holiday boll holi dL day clay season when tho the coins are are used as gifts gUts I Members of or tho the Mormon church returning returning- from San Francisco and S Sacramento brought with them themI tacks sacks I s of or gold dust and as as said sald the tho people did not want ant it One man from De Bear r River Thomas L L. Smith a 1 mount mountaineer wrote Brigham Young YounS' offering offer offer- Ing ng him OO or or in small coins and to take in exchange ex ex- change chanSe currency 0 S The medium of ot exchange as said was luSe largely by barter according to historians of or that date dale who rho recorded that clothing and furniture were paid pt for forwith forwith with cattle wheat or potatoes put This was in 1849 Finally little bags of ot gold sold dust became mone money tho the merchants being prevailed on to tako them S In order that the dust might be coined a a. mint vas was est established on what is now no South Temple street being located in a small adobe building just cast of I where tho the Hotel Utah now stands Tho coins minted were vero of or tho tha denomination of or 5 5 10 and nd 20 and nd were of or virgin gold without alloy The dies were cut ut b by John Ka Kay These dies were poorly made hence a a. second series of or dies was as d designed by Douglas Dougas Doug Doug- las Jag as Brown Drown and J. J 1 M. M Barlow and tho the dies made from ho tho design were cut b by Alfred B. B Lambson and Martin l II H. Peck S S S The design showed howe 1 on the face of or the smaller coIn oin the letters G S S. S L. L C. C P. P G. G 1848 with tho the hands in tho the center and tho the words five lve dollars ollars On tho the obverse side aide tho words in quotation marks Holiness to the Lord with an open opell shell in the center of or which was a a. beehive These coins were minted b by Douglas Brown in the theof theoffice theoffice of office lice of J. J M. M Barlo Barlow a n. jeweler and were continued until 1557 and a a. short hort while after arrival of or Alfred Cummings the the- first gentile governor who ordered the coinage discontinued S S S SIt It Is believed ed that the tho coinage of or this piece was vas the first gold SOld coin of that denomination minted In n the United States In Utah the they have havo lon long gone Sone as currency and there aro are few people in the tate state who ho have ever seen one ono of the coins S S During the period 1796 to December 31 1929 a 1 total olal of or in hi O gold Sold pieces has coined b by tho the government and only In these coins remained on hand in tho the federal reserve banks andin and In the offices Dc December 31 n treasury treasur 1929 S S Secretary Mellon adds in his letter Moreover at the present time tImo the capacity of ot coinage mints is taxed to meet tho the requirements ofF of bu business and commerce To su suspend pend or interfere with wilid the tho ho manufacture of or needed nee denominations ot of coins coins coins' for or the purpose of or manufacturing coins which are almost entirely for gift sUt purposes and which from circulation after h issue l ue Is undesirable flom a a. business and practical standpoint A. A |