Show RARE COINS MAY BE FOUND WHEN IT IS TORN DOWN that patr ot sent n ant may be strong enough to save this the th rd bu id ng erected for governments purposes new york many finds ol 01 rare P ariy riy united states coins ale expected wien uncle sams first mint build eg m a is torn down that Is there is not enough patr otic in the meantime to preserve the establishment which answered the purposes of this great government ahen it was in all truth an infant long beto e the re volition there had been much it against eng land tor not establish ng a colonial mint in america and one of the first acts of the newly united states was to provide tor the erection of a i lace at wh eh coins ot a definite value bearing the stamp of this coun try id be iss ed the question of the establishment of a m it had been widely discussed at least ten years before it was final ly authorized robert morris on jan uary 15 I 1 82 had recommended a 1 toi american coinage and early in went so far as to conduct ne got actions tor such an establishment the old D itch church then occupied for a time being under consideration as a mint ho se congress on april lo 10 1 40 the president to establish a mint and secretary of the alexander hamilton was di erected to and report a proper plan this mr hamilton did at the next session and on the strength of his a united states mint was authorized b congress on april 2 1792 A lot on the east side of seventh near arch was purchased and 13 first united states M nt an appropriation was made for put ting up a suitable structure on this lot stood an old stillhouse and some of the materials in it were sold tor seven shillings and sixpence this sum according to an old demoran dum david rittenhouse the first dl rector of the mint directed should be laid out for punch in laying the foun stone the cornerstone of the mint was laid by mr ouse on july 31 1792 the building consisting of a plain three story brick the first coining was done here in the following octo her in reference to this coin inge washington in his address to congress of november 6 1792 said there has been a small beginning in the clinage 0 half dimes the want of small coinage in cir culat on calling the first attention ibn to them these half dimes or halt dihmes as the word is spelled on the coins were said to have been stuck arora quantity of private plate that wash ington had deposited at the mint for coinage and bore on the obverse the representation of a female said to have been the portrait of martha washington by numismatists these earl halt dihmes are regarded as pattern coins as the first regular de posit of silver bullion tor coinage judging by the records was not made until july 18 1794 the old mint building is now owned by mr frank H stewart mr stewart says that he expects to tear down the old structure before long he has no doubt in the process a of interesting coins will come to light he is particularly in te rested in the contents of the corner stone which he is certain will be found to contain fine specimens of the early coinage there is no obtain able record showing the nature of the contents of the cornerstone but edg ing by the custom of the period not only coins will be found there but also important and interesting docu ments disi position ot the cornerstone al read has been made the property formerly was owned by a mr gates who provided in h s will that when tl e build ng was torn down tl e cor ner stone should become the erty of the pennsylvania state historical the statement has been made that the old mint build ng was the alist built for the government i se this Is not true altho gh it was one of the earliest it was preceded in this only the b erected on island in the delaware river near a for purposes a d the marine hospital at chelsea mass |