Show I Assayers Assayer's Life is Shrouded in Mystery i There aro man many coins coing which have o a romantic interest for the collector on account account ac- ac acl l count o of their historical associations and ana yet others which have havo an equal in interest interest in- in terest because little if any anything thin can bo ho learned of their ori origin in rays ays t the New ew NewYork York Sun To tho the latter class belong tho time coins issued b by Templeton Rei Reid is s- s ayer sayer who struck gold pieces pieces of various arious ml-I ml denominations at his private minting establishment es es- establishment s. s near tho the gold mines in in Lumpkin county Georgia Georcia in 1830 0 I While Whilo the denominations ons of these II coins coins' and md their Ilc designs aro definitely known next to nothing has liar over er been learned about Templeton Reid All that thatis I is known is that in 1830 when the gold old mines of Georgia Georia were furnishing a not I inconsiderable proportion of tho the goldi gold Sold I production of t the tho o United States he conducted con con- ducted an a assaying sa ing and smelting establishment establishment I IIi Ii at which gold coins of the de ell denominations u t nominations of 50 5 5 and 10 10 were struck J If calculations were werl based upon the number of Reid s 's 8 coins in exi existence it I would seem that tho the number of pieces issued by him must have have- been comparatively comparatively small but the very ery fact that he conducted a coining plant for tor four years is evidence c that a fairly large largo number of coins coina must have been struck by him and it is iR not improbable that stray specimens of these may still bo be preserved pre pre- I served Isen-ed ns DS 50 1 souvenirs in the tho south I Scarcest of tho the Reid Roid coins is the tho 10 piece dated 1830 1530 On the tho obverse ob it bears boars the denomination and the inscription tion Templeton Reid Heid a assayer while whilo the reverse shows the tho words word Georgia gold surrounded by bs 1 a circle of stars The gold coM pieces of this denomination struck in 1830 1831 1832 and 1833 1533 weighed em grains ins wore were of a fineness I I of and had an intrinsic value of 1000 1006 There is ig one other variety of i this denomination un undated ate but of equal rarity with the dated late specimens The only specimen of tho the 10 piece I now known is in the mint col collection at Philadelphia where liere it has been nrc nrc- served through the foresight of former I United States Assayer Dubois who was I instrumental in the tho collection collection coUce- coUce I tion of coins at the Philadelphia mint Next in rarity comes the time 5 piece also dated 1830 1530 Tho The last specimen sold fold brought at ono one of the tho Low sales salesa a couple of years a ago o. o It is probably abl ably tIn tho only specimen definitely ly lo located ho- ho 0 with tho time exception of one ono in m tho the mint collection The Tho average crac weight of the 5 gold piece was grains rains and tho the fineness of tho the gold tho the intrinsic valve value being an nn even cen 5 The Tho third denomination that of showed the tho same design as the 5 and aud 10 gold pieces It weighed 60 2 grains and was of a fineness of with an intrinsic intrinsic intrinsic in in- in- in value of A couple of hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred dollars would be nee needed ed now to bu buy ono one of the l little gold pieces In 1834 when tho the standard of the time United States coins was wa lowered in fineness fineness fineness fine fine- ness from 2 t J to it is sai said that Reid lowered the tho fineness of tho the gold in in his coins coins also but through the change chane his coins became e so irregular io in value that their issue was ll discontinued Tho The metal in in the coins struck before 1834 was probably the time Georgia gold just justas as it camo came from tho the mines for tho time Georgin Georgia Georgia Geor Geor- gia gin gold was waR much purer than that produced pro diced cd in in other parts of the United States Slates teg After ho he ceased coining in 1834 noth ing more morp is heard of Reid until 1849 when it is supposed that ho hp removed his coining machinery and tools to California Califor Califor- nin nia nia where gold had just been 1 ered There he struck hold gold coins of the tho denomination of 10 and md 2 25 I The California issues of templeton I Reid now nOt exceed those of his Georgia t u mint in to point of rarity So far as ns is is I known there i is in existence but hut a sin single sin gee gle specimen of each cach denomination and 1 these like liko the tho earlier curlier issues of Reids Reid's Georgia Georda mint owe their preservation to I Mr MiS Dubois From appearances th the coins were i struck from California cold gold without ar- ar I I tit ci 1 alloy ahoy and the value aln of th the 10 10 I i and antl 2 25 2 piece piece was about I 9 5 97 Rn and 2150 UiO The 10 piece differed I greatly in in design from rem any of the coins I issued b bv by oth other r pr private prat at establishments establishment On the tho obverse around tho the extreme extremo edge crIce are arc three concentric lines line close loRe to toc together ether In the center of n a wide wido open field is the date 1819 1519 and around the I hot r. dt-r. just in inside ide the tho circles is inscribed I Templeton Reid assayer On the reverse side sile in th the center of the fiel fields s in in three lines similar to those on oil time tho obverse 11 are re the words Ten I i dollars and around the inner edge of tho the circles California at nt the top and Gold at tho bottom Tho The 25 piece picco was unique not net only in design but also allo in denomination as no other coin of an equivalent value was ever er i issued Hued in this country It shows hows a single line hive around tho the obverse border inside of which is an ornamented circle circle cir cir- cir cir- cle ele similar to that on tho the howlers borders of some of pur our present silver eoin coins Around Aronna thi tins this inside in the tile circle circo is Templeton Reid a assayer At tho the top is the denomination denomination de de- I nomination in Roman numerals surmounted bv by a dollar mark and below I is is tho date 1849 18 The reverse has the same samp kind of ornamental ornamental or or- border us as tho time obverse at tho the top being tho time wor word California in a I curve below which is th the value I ty Still further below is a din dm- diamond mend mond shaped ornament nt with t the word woul Dollars and Gold at tho the extreme bottom Careful investigation ill in California fails to bring to l light the sli slightest scrap of ot information regarding Reid It is not mint known even eo whore his plant was situated Those who ho arc are interested in hi his history histon- as connected with his coin issues issues would almost conclude that he henCer never went to California but for th the existence of the time two gold coM pieces which were struck in in California gold about which metal there thero are arc distinguishing features which positively identify it it |