Until 1835 the mint at Philadelphia was the only establishment in the United States for coining money. But in that year a law was passed establishing branch mints at New Orleans, in Louisiana; at Charlotte, in North Carolina; and at Dahlonega, in Georgia. In 1852, another branch was established in California; in 1862, another at Denver, in Colorado Territory; and in 1863, another at Carson City, in Nevada Territory, since made a State; in 1864, another at San Francisco, in California, and another at Dallas City, in Oregon. Except the one in California, but little has ever been done at these branches. They are all similar to the principal one at Philadelphia; and the laws relating to that are made to apply to these branches.
6. The Constitution gives Congress the exclusive right to coin money, and prohibits all the States from doing it. This Congress does by the laws it passes in relation to the subject, and the various officers and workmen employed to execute the work are only the agents of Congress.
The various coins which Congress has from time to time ordered to be made are of the following names and value:
| Gold. | Value. |
|---|---|
| Eagle, | $10 00 |
| Half-Eagle, | 5 00 |
| Quar. Eag., | 2 50 |
| Doub. Eag., | 20 00 |
| Three Dols., | 3 00 |
| One Dollar, | 1 00 |
| Silver. | Value. |
| Dollar, | $1 00 |
| Half-Dollar, | 50 |
| Quar. Dol., | 25 |
| Dime, | 10 |
| Half Dime, | 5 |
| Three ct. piece, | 3 |
| Copper. | |
| One cent, | |
| Two cents, | |
| Three cents, | |
| and formerly ½ c. | |
| But these are now discontinued. | |
7. Our coins are not made of pure gold and silver; a certain amount of other metals being added to produce a coin that will be less affected by the friction of constant use. This alloy, or mixture, of the precious metals is called Standard gold or silver, since a definite amount of the alloy is required in all the coinage of the government for currency purposes. It does not alter the value of the coin; that being dependent on the actual merchantable value of the sum of the metals used. By the law of 1837, standard gold and silver were declared to be nine hundred parts of pure metal, and one hundred parts alloy—equal to one-tenth alloy. Gold coins are alloyed with silver and copper, equal parts of each. Silver coins are alloyed with copper alone. Gold is declared to be worth fifteen times as much as silver by weight.
In addition to our own coins, Congress has, from time to time, passed laws declaring the value of foreign coins, and making them a legal tender. But these laws were all repealed by the act of 1857, and it was made the duty of the director of the mint to have them assayed, and to determine their weight, fineness, and value; for they are still used by banks and merchants, and pass at the value determined by the mint.
The mint, up to 1861, had coined in gold, silver, and copper coin, 800,662,475 pieces, worth $799,923,362.
THE UNITED STATES MINT.
Statement of Domestic Gold and Silver deposited at the United States Mint and Branches, for Coinage, to June 30th, 1872.
| From. | Gold. | Silver. | Gold and Silver. |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $642,965,026.09 | $156,423.03 | $643,121,449.12 |
| Montana | 30,648,265.24 | 176,838.57 | 30,825,103.81 |
| Colorado | 20,338,420.96 | 1,114,543.43 | 21,452,964.39 |
| Idaho | 17,141,523.84 | 291,681.59 | 17,433,205.43 |
| Oregon | 11,594,979.33 | 1,863.74 | 11,596,843.07 |
| North Carolina | 9,865,252.97 | 44,110.95 | 9,909,363.92 |
| Nevada | 1,010,280.17 | 8,539,868.04 | 9,550,148.21 |
| Georgia | 7,232,346.96 | 403.83 | 7,232,750.79 |
| Virginia | 1,629,188.79 | —— | 1,629,188.79 |
| South Carolina | 1,379,121.92 | —— | 1,379,121.92 |
| Lake Superior | —— | 1,062,540.81 | 1,062,540.81 |
| Arizona | 975,401.39 | 39,873.08 | 1,015,274.47 |
| New Mexico | 823,021.29 | —— | 823,021.29 |
| Utah | 146,147.18 | 261,204.71 | 407,351.89 |
| Nebraska | 24,381.57 | 200,976.53 | 225,358.10 |
| Alabama | 213,750.66 | —— | 213,750.66 |
| Wyoming Territory | 138,878.12 | 86.48 | 138,964.60 |
| Tennessee | 81,529.69 | —— | 81,529.69 |
| Washington Territory | 67,745.38 | —— | 67,745.38 |
| New Mexico and Sonora | —— | 51,653.31 | 51,653.31 |
| Dakota | 5,760.00 | —— | 5,760.00 |
| Vermont | 5,611.97 | —— | 5,611.97 |
| Kansas | 1,009.62 | 468.00 | 1,477.62 |
| Sitka | 397.64 | —— | 397.64 |
| Maryland | 108.00 | —— | 108.00 |
| Other Sources | 85,226,912.42 | 2,751.15 | 85,229,663.57 |
| Parted from Silver | 4,690,402.30 | —— | 4,690,402.30 |
| Fine Bars | —— | 5,298,490.02 | 5,298,490.02 |
| Parted from Gold | —— | 5,821,721.97 | 5,821,721.97 |
| Total | $836,205,463.50 | $23,065,492.24 | $859,270,962.47 |