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Show FIRST U . S . COINSHILLING COIN COINSHILLING SHILLING SIDLLING OF 1652Melted 1652 1652Melted \ - Melted I\-Iehed I Iehed Candlesticks Used to toMake toMake l\fdke l fdke Make \ Silver Piece . On } May Jay 2G 26 , 1G52 1632 3652 , John Hull minted mintedthe mintedthe mintedthe the first piece of bllver bilver silver for tor use In inthe inthe ' the American coloniesFeeling colonies coloniesFeeling I IFeeling Feeling the need of a satisfying satisfyingmedium satisfyingmedium tlsfyIng tlsfyIngmedium medium of exchange exc11'mge exc11mge ' , the Boston to1 col to1onl5ts colonists colonlsts onl5ts onists Induced the legislature to toenact toenact toenact enact a statute permitting the coinage coin coina coinage a age e of ot money mono mone ; in the colonyJohn colonyJohn colony colonyJohn John Hull , a Boston householder householderoffered , offered to erect a building bUlldlDg at nt his ex e.t et ' . pcnse pense pease on his own land to be used as asa asa asa a mint His proposition was accept acceptl.d acceptcd acceptid l.d ld cd . and anel he was made master mastpr of the themInt themint themint mInt . . , As compen compensation tlon he was to torcceh toreceise toreceive rcceh receise e one shllllngfor shilling shllllng- shllllng - for every twenty twentythat twentythat twentythat that be he minted for the colony tolon ) . So , out near the barn on his l1Is prop property property property he built shack sh.lck shlck sliack 10 10felt 10feet 10feet erty , a one-room one room - - - . felt feet wide and 16 feet long And Andhere Andhere Andhere here In this unpointed unp'1lnte unp1lnte unpainted ' building bUlldmg was wasmmted wasminted wasminted mmted minted the first shilling shllllng In the Col Colonles Colonles Colonles onles The event . was v.as vas ma'ked maked marked ' by an anabsolute anabsolute anabsolute absolute absence of ceremony . lIewent Hewent He lIe Hewent went about the task tash in the samematter same samematter samematter matter of fact way that he would wouldl1ave wouldhave wouldhave l1ave have approached the task tach : ; of mould mouldIng mouldlag mouldIng Ing lag candlesUsing candlesUsing candles candlesUsing Using ' ' an 'ln ln 'in in English shilling as a amodel amodel amodel model , this first minting minhnri of a few fewsIlver fewsilver fewsilver sIlver pieces was a day's days ' job , null Hull nulland Hulland Hulland and a friend fnend melted up some SI1\ SI1 silt SI1er silvercandle&ticks silvercandleticks \ er ercandle ercandlesticks candle candlesticks & hcI.s hcIs . In an 0\ 0 oven 0en oxen \ en built bmlt of field fieldstones fieldstones fieldstones stones It required a long time toget to toget toget get the oven hot enouhnth enough enouh , ; \ with \nth nth the thewood thewood thewood wood they were using ' as 'lS lS is fuel 110w flow 110wever flowever However ever , ' \ late 1\te 1 te l'tte ltte ' in the afternoon the two twomen twomen twomen men \ vveie were e1 e ready to pour the molten moltensih moltensilo moltensilver sih silo er into mto flat fiat mouldsAt mouldsAt moulds mouldsAt At this point Mrs . . Hull nuB appeared appearedon on the scene to persuadp persuade them to eat supper , which they did unwilling unwlUlng- unwlUlng unwilling- unwillingly unwlUlngly - ly . After supper snpper sapper they returned to to'cork towork 'cork cork \ ' ork by candle light Jight . . First nrst Iirst they removed the silver that thnt thathad thnthad tliathad had cooled In flat &labs labs slabs & , and pound pound- pounded pounded pounded - ed It down flown clown to the right thInness thinness.Then thinnessThen . . Then , with a heavy hammer and a apunch apunch apunch punch , they cut out out the discs , on one onefll oneside oneside fll side e of which they stamped stampetl N E , H Bstanding , I : > tanding standing ( for New England Dngland , and nnd on onthe onthe onthe the other XII , d denoting notIng 12 pence pence.Finally penceFinally . . FInally they weighed each disc sep sep- separately sep- sep separately separately - - arately . , If U the disc weighed "eIgllcd eIgllcd neighed " more moretban morethan morethan tban than 72 grains graln , . they t.hey cut o oil a pIece piecewhich , which is why most of them are of ofbucb ofsuch ofsuch bucb such Irregular shape shapeThus shapeThus shapeThus Thus \ with \ Ith crude tools and meth meth- methods methods methods - - ods did the tbe first Colonial Colomal shilUng shilling shilUngcome shillingcome shillingcome come uncciemonlously uncelemonIousy unceremoniously ] Into being , . |