6. Third. The assayer shall carefully assay all metals used in coinage, whenever such 18 Jan. 1837 dd. 3. assays are required in the operations of the mint; and he shall also make assays of coins Duties of the whenever instructed to do so by the director. 7. Fourth. The melter and refiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form ingots of standard silver or gold, suitable for the chief coiner, from the metals legally delivered to him for that purpose. (a) assayer. Ibid. cl. 4. Ibid. cl. 5. 8. Fifth. The chief coiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order iform coins, conformable in all respects to the law, from the standard silver and gold Duties of chief ingots, [and the copper planchets,] legally delivered to him for this purpose. 9. Sixth. The engraver shall prepare and engrave, with the legal devices and inscriptions, all the dies used in the coinage of the mint and its branches. comer. Ibid. cl. 6. clerks. 10. The director shall appoint, with the approbation of the president, assistants to the Ibid. 33. assayer, melter and refiner, chief coiner and engraver, and clerks for the director and Appointment of treasurer, (b) whenever, on representation made by the director to the president, it shall be assistants and the opinion of the president that such assistants or clerks are necessary. And it shall be the duty of the assistants to aid their principals in the execution of their respective Their duties. offices, and of the clerks to perform such duties as shall be prescribed for them by the director. Ibid. 4. 11. Whenever any officer of the mint shall be temporarily absent, on account of sickness, or any other sufficient cause, it shall be lawful for the director, with the assent of Temporary ap‐ said officer, to appoint some person attached to the mint, to act in the place of such pointments. officer during his absence; and the director shall employ such workmen and servants in Workmen, &c. the mint as he shall from time [to time] find necessary. Ibid. 5. 12. Every officer, assistant and clerk of the mint, shall, before he enters upon the execution of his office, take an oath or affirmation before some judge of the United States, Oath of officers or judge of the superior court or any court of record of any state, faithfully and diligently &c. to perform the duties thereof. Ibid 6. 13. The following officers of the mint, before entering upon the execution of their respective offices, (e) shall become bound to the United States, with one or more sureties, Bonds of officers. to the satisfaction of the secretary of the treasury, in the sums hereinafter mentioned, with condition for the faithful and diligent performance of the duties of their offices, viz. the treasurer in the sum of ten thousand dollars; the assayer in the sum of five thousand dollars; the melter and refiner in the sum of ten thousand dollars; the chief coiner in the sum of ten thousand dollars. And similar bonds may also be required of the assistants and clerks, in such sums as the director shall determine, with the approbation of the secretary of the treasury.(d) 14. There shall be allowed to the officers of the mint the following salaries per annum: to the director for his services, including travelling expenses incurred in visiting the different branches, and all other charges whatever, three thousand five hundred dollars; to the treasurer, assayer, melter and refiner, chief coiner and engraver, each two thousand dollars; to the assistants and clerks, such annual salaries shall be allowed as the director may determine, with the approbation of the president: Provided, That an assistant shall not receive more than fifteen hundred dollars; and that a clerk shall not receive more than twelve hundred dollars. (e) To the workmen and servants shall be allowed such wages, to be determined by the director, as may be customary and reasonable according to their respective stations and occupations; and the salaries provided for in this section shall be payable in quarterly instalments. Ibid. 27. Salaries. 10 Stat. 573. may be increased. 15. That the seventh section of the act of January 18th 1837, entitled "An act sup- 4 Aug. 1854 ? 13 plementary to the act entitled 'An act establishing a mint and regulating the coins of the United States,"" be so amended as to extend the limit for the annual salary of clerks Pay of clerks in the mint of the United States to eighteen hundred dollars each, from and after the first of July 1854, at the discretion of the officers authorized by law to appoint, with the approbation of the president of the United States, including also one clerk in the office of the assistant treasurer at Philadelphia; and the salary of the chief clerk of the branch mint at New Orleans, shall be twenty-two hundred dollars from and after the first of July 1854. 16. The director of the mint shall make his annual report to the secretary of the trca- 21 Feb. 1857 ? sury, up to the thirtieth of June in each year, so that the same may appear in his annual report to congress on the finances. II. ASSAY AND COINAGE OF BULLION. 11 Stat. 16. Director's anunal report. 17. It shall be lawful for the director of the mint to receive, and cause to be assayed, 19 May 1828 7. bullion not intended for coinage, and to cause certificates to be given of the fineness & Stat. 278. 19 May 1828. 18 Jan. 1837 14. 5 Stat. 138. ceived for coin thereof by such officer as he shall designate for that purpose, at such rates of charge to be paid by the owner of said bullion, and under such regulations as the said director may from time to time establish. (a) 18. Gold and silver bullion brought to the mint for coinage, shall be received and coined by the proper officers, for the benefit of the depositor: (b) Provided, That it shall Bullion to be re- be lawful to refuse at the mint, any deposite of less value than one hundred dollars, and any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operations of the mint: And provided also, That when gold and silver are combined, if either of these metals be in such small proportion that it cannot be separated advantageously, no allowance shall be made to the depositor for the value of such metal. age. Ibid. 15. To be weighed 19. When bullion is brought to the mint for coinage, it shall be weighed by the treasurer in the presence of the depositor, when practicable, and a receipt given, which shall and receipted for. state the description and weight of the bullion: Provided, That when bullion is in such a state as to require melting before its value can be ascertained, the weight after melting shall be considered as the true weight of the bullion deposited. Ibid. 16. To be assayed. Ibid. 17. 20. From every parcel of bullion deposited for coinage, the treasurer shall deliver to the assayer a sufficient portion for the purpose of being assayed; but all such bullion remaining from the operations of the assay shall be returned to the treasurer by the assayer. 21. The assayer shall report to the treasurer the quality or standard of the bullion Assayer to report, assayed by him; and he shall also communicate to the treasurer such information as will enable him to estimate the amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made to the depositor, for the expenses of converting the bullion into standard metal fit for coinage. age. Ibid. 18. 22. The only subjects of charge by the mint to the depositor shall be the following: (c) Charges for coin- for refining when the bullion is below standard; for toughening when metals are contained in it which render it unfit for coinage; for copper used for alloy when the bullion is above standard; for silver introduced into the alloy of gold; and for separating the gold and silver when these metals exist together in the bullion. And the rate of these charges shall be fixed from time to time by the director, with the concurrence of the secretary of the treasury, so as not to exceed, in their judgment, the actual expense to the mint of the materials and labor employed in each of the cases aforementioned; and the amount received from these charges shall be accounted for and appropriated for defraying the contingent expenses of the mint. issued to de Ibid. 19. 23. From the report of the assayer, and the weight of the bullion, the treasurer shall Certificate to be estimate the whole value of each deposite, and also the amount of the charges or deductions if any; of all which he shall give a detailed memorandum to the depositor; and he shall also give, at the same time, under his hand, a certificate of the net amount of the deposite, to be paid in coins of the same species of bullion as that deposited. positor. Ibid. 20. Bullion to be formed into ingots. Ibid. 221. Ingots to be assayed. Ibid. 22. Deviation from standard. bid. § 23. Treasurer's acer and refiner. 24. Parcels of bullion shall be from time to time transferred by the treasurer to the melter and refiner; a careful record of these transfers, noting the weight and character of the bullion, shall be kept; and the bullion thus placed in the hands of the melter and refiner shall be subjected to the several processes which may be necessary to form it into ingots of the legal standard, and of a quality suitable for coinage. 25. The ingots thus prepared shall be assayed by the assayer, and if they prove to be within the limits allowed for deviation from the standard, they shall be transferred by the melter and refiner to the treasurer, accompanied by the assayer's certificate of their fineness; and a careful record of the transfer shall be kept by the treasurer. 26. No ingots of gold shall be used for coinage of which the quality differs more than two-thousandths from the legal standard; and no ingots of silver shall be used for coinage of which the quality differs more than three-thousandths from the legal standard. 27. In the treasurer's account with the melter and refiner, the melter and refiner shall be debited with the standard weight of all the bullion placed in his hands, that is to say, count with melt with the weight of metal of legal standard fineness which it will make; and he shall be credited by the standard weight of all the ingots delivered by him to the treasurer. And once at least in every year, at such time as the director shall appoint, the melter and refiner shall deliver up to the treasurer all the bullion in his possession, in order that his accounts may be settled up to that time; and, in this settlement, he shall be entitled to a credit for the difference between the whole amount of bullion delivered to him, and received from him, since the last settlement, as an allowance for necessary waste: Provided, That this allowance shall not exceed two-thousandths of the whole amount of gold and silver bullion, respectively, that had been delivered to him by the treasurer. Allowance for waste. (a) See infra, 44. (b) See infra, 41. (c) See infra, 42, 43. 28. The treasurer shall, from time to time, deliver over to the chief coiner, ingots for 18 Jan. 1837 § 24. the purpose of coinage; he shall keep a careful record of these transfers, noting the Ingots to be deweight and description of the ingots; and the ingots thus placed in the hands of the livered to coiner chief coiner shall be passed through the several processes necessary to make from them coins, in all respects conformable to law. in coining. 29. In adjusting the weights of the coins, the following deviations from the standard Ibid. 25. weight shall not be exceeded in any of the single pieces-in the dollar and half-dollar, Deviations from one grain and a half; in the quarter-dollar, one grain; in the dime and half-dime, half standard weight a grain; in the gold coins, one quarter of a grain; (a) [in the copper coins, one grain in the pennyweight.] And in weighing a large number of pieces together, when delivered from the chief coiner to the treasurer, and from the treasurer to the depositors, the deviations from the standard weight shall not exceed the following limits-four pennyweights in one thousand dollars; three pennyweights in one thousand half-dollars; two pennyweights in one thousand quarter-dollars; one pennyweight in one thousand dimes; one pennyweight in one thousand half-dimes; two pennyweights in one thousand eagles; one and a half-pennyweight in one thousand half-eagles; one pennyweight in one thou3and quarter-eagles. Ibid. 26. surer. 30. The chief coiner shall, from time to time, as the coins are prepared, deliver them over to the treasurer, who shall keep a careful record of their kind, number and weight; Coin to be deand, in receiving the coins, it shall be the duty of the treasurer to see whether the coins livered to treaof that delivery are within the legal limits of the standard weight; and if his trials for this purpose shall not prove satisfactory, he shall cause all the coins of this delivery to His duties be weighed separately, and such as are not of legal weight shall be delivered to the melter and refiner, as standard bullion, to be again formed into ingots and recoined. Ibid. 227 trial. 31. At every delivery of coins made by the chief coiner to the treasurer, it shall be the duty of the treasurer, in the presence of the assayer, to take indiscriminately, a cer- Coins to be set tain number of pieces of each variety for the annual trial of coins, (the number being apart for annual prescribed by the director) which shall be carefully labelled, and deposited in a chest appropriated for the purpose, kept under the joint care of the treasurer and assayer, and so secured that neither can have access to its contents without the presence of the other. Ibid. 28. 32. The chief coiner shall, from time to time, deliver to the treasurer the clippings and other portions of bullion remaining after the process of coining; and the treasurer Record of clipshall keep a careful record of their amount. coiner. pings, &c. 33. In the treasurer's account with the chief coiner, the chief coiner shall be debited Ibid. 29. with the amount in weight of standard metal of all the bullion placed in his hands, and Treasurer's accredited with the amount, also by weight, of all the coins, clippings and other bullion count with chief delivered by him to the treasurer. And once at least in every year, at such time as the director shall appoint, the chief coiner shall deliver to the treasurer all the coins and bullion in his possession, so that his accounts may be settled up to that time; and, in this settlement, he shall be entitled to a credit for the difference between the whole amount of the ingots delivered to him, and of the coins and bullion received from him, since the last settlement, as an allowance for necessary waste: Provided, That this Allowance fo allowance shall not exceed two-thousandths of the whole amount of the silver, or one and one-half thousandth of the whole amount of the gold, that had been delivered to him by the treasurer. waste. Ibid. 30. Payment to de 34. When the coins which are the equivalent to any deposite of bullion are ready for delivery, they shall be paid over to the depositor, or his order, by the treasurer, on a warrant from the director; and the payment shall be made, if demanded, in the order positors. in which the bullion shall have been brought to the mint, giving priority according to priority of deposite only. And in the denominations of coin delivered, the treasurer shall comply with the wishes of the depositor, unless when impracticable or inconvenient to do so; in which case the denominations of coin shall be designated by the director.(b) Ibid. 31. 35. For the purpose of enabling the mint to make returns to depositors with as little delay as possible, (c) it shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury to keep in the Bullion fund. said mint, when the state of the treasury will admit thereof, a deposite of such amount of public money, or of bullion procured for the purpose, as he shall judge convenient and necessary, not exceeding one million of dollars; out of which those who bring bullion to the mint may be paid the value thereof, as soon as practicable, after this value How applied. has been ascertained. The bullion so deposited shall become the property of the United States; no discount or interest shall be charged on moneys so advanced; and (a) See infra, 37. (b) The act 2 April 1792 2 15, which is hereby supplied, provided further that "if any preference shall be given contrary to the directions aforesaid, the officer by hom any undue preference shall be given shall, in each case, forfeit and pay $1000, to be re 18 Jan. 1837 Ibid. ? 32. Annual trial of coinage. the secretary of the treasury may at any time withdraw the said deposite, or any part thereof, or may, at his discretion, allow the coins formed at the mint to be given for their equivalent in other money. 36. To secure a due conformity in the gold and silver coins to their respective standards and weights, an annual trial shall be made of the pieces reserved for this purpose at the mint and its branches, before the judge of the district court of the United States for the eastern district of Pennsylvania, the attorney of the United States for the eastern district of Pennnsylvania, and the collector of the port of Philadelphia, and such other Commissioners. persons as the president shall, from time to time, designate for that purpose; who shall meet as commissioners, for the performance of this duty, on the second Monday in February, annually, and may continue their meetings by adjournment, if necessary; and if a majority of the commissioners shall fail to attend at any time appointed for their meeting, then the director of the mint shall call a meeting of the commissioners at such other time as he may deem convenient. And before these commissioners, or a majority of them, and in the presence of the officers of the mint, such examination shall be made of the reserved pieces as shall be judged sufficient; and if it shall appear that these pieces do not differ from the standard fineness and weight by a greater quantity than is allowed by law, the trial shall be considered and reported as satisfactory; but if any greater deviation from the legal standard or weight shall appear, this fact shall be certified to the president of the United States; and if, on a view of the circumstances of the case, he shall so decide, the officer or officers implicated in the error shall be thenceforward disqualified from holding their respective offices. Their duties. 8 March 1849 9 Stat. 397. Deviation allow 4. ed from standard weight of gold coin. 23 May 1850 1. 9 Stat. 436. 37. In adjusting the weights of gold coins henceforward, the following deviations from the standard weight shall not be exceeded in any of the single pieccs—namely, in the double eagle, the eagle and the half-eagle, one-half of a grain, and in the quarter-eagle and gold dollar, one-quarter of a grain. And in weighing a large number of pieces together, when delivered from the chief coiner to the treasurer, and from the treasurer to the depositors, the deviation from the standard weight shall not exceed three pennyweights in one thousand double eagles; two pennyweights in one thousand eagles; one and one-half pennyweights in one thousand half eagles; one pennyweight in one thousand quarter-eagles; and one-half of a pennyweight in one thousand gold dollars. 38. For the purpose of enabling the mint and branch mints of the United States to make returns to depositors with as little delay as possible, it shall be lawful for the Public moneys to president of the United States, when the state of the treasury shall admit thereof, to Idirect transfers to be made from time to time to the mint and branch mints for such ment of deposit sums of public money as he shall judge convenient and necessary; out of which those be transferred to the mint for pay ors. who bring bullion to the mint may be paid the value thereof, as soon as practicable after this value has been ascertained. The bullion so deposited shall become the property of the United States; no discount or interest shall be charged on money so advanced; No interest to be and the secretary of the treasury may at any time withdraw the said deposite, or any part thereof, or may, at his discretion, allow the coins formed at the mint to be given for their equivalent in other money: Provided, That the bonds given by the United Burers, &c., may States treasurers and superintendents of the mint shall be renewed or increased at the discretion of the secretary of the treasury, under the operation of this act. charged. Bonds of treabe renewed or increased. 21 Feb. 1853 23. 10 Statt. 160. coinage. 39. In order to procure bullion for the requisite coinage of the subdivisions of the dollar authorized by this act, (a) the treasurer of the mint shall, with the approval of the Silver bullion to director, purchase such bullion with the bullion fund of the mint. He shall charge himbe purchased for self with the gain arising from the coinage of such bullion into coins of a nominal value exceeding the intrinsic value thereof, and shall be credited with the difference between such intrinsic value and the price paid for said bullion, and with the expense of distri buting said coins as hereinafter provided. The balances to his credit, or the profits of said coinage, shall be, from time to time, on a warrant of the director of the mint, transferred to the account of the treasury of the United States. Treasurer's account. Ibid. 24. How silver coin to be paid out. Ibid. 25. 40. Such coins shall be paid out at the mint, in exchange for gold coins at par, in sums not less than one hundred dollars; and it shall be lawful, also, to transmit parcels of the same, from time to time, to the assistant treasurers, depositaries and other officers of the United States, under general regulations, proposed by the director of the mint, and approved by the secretary of the treasury: Provided however, That the amount coined into quarter-dollars, dimes and half-dimes, shall be regulated by the secretary of the treasury. 41. No deposites for coinage into the half-dollar, quarter-dollar, dime and half-dime, No deposites of shall hereafter be received, other than those made by the treasurer of the mint, as herein authorized, and upon account of the United States. silver bullion to be received. (a) See tit. "Coinage," 13-14. 42. At the option of the depositor, gold or silver may be cast into bars or ingots of 21 Feb. 1853 § 6. either pure metal or of standard fineness, as the owner may prefer, with a stamp upon Bullion may be the same designating its weight and fineness; but no piece, of either gold or silver, shall cast into ingots be cast into bars or ingots of a less weight than ten ounces, except pieces of one ounce, of two ounces, of three ounces and of five ounces, all of which pieces of less weight than ten ounces shall be of the standard fineness, with their weight and fineness stamped upon them. But, in cases, whether the gold and silver deposited be coined or cast into Charge therefor. bars or ingots, there shall be a charge to the depositor, in addition to the charge now made for refining or parting the metals, of one-half of one per centum ; (a) the money arising from this charge of one-half per centum shall be charged to the treasurer of the mint, and from time to time, on warrant of the director of the mint, shall be transferred into the treasury of the United States: Provided however, That nothing contained in this section shall be considered as applying to the half-dollar, the quarter-dollar, the dime and half-dime. 10 Stat. 188. 43. When gold or silver shall be cast into bars or ingots, or formed into disks at the 3 March 1853 § 7. mint of the United States, or any of the branches thereof, or at any assay office of the United States, the charge for refining, casting or forming said bars, ingots or disks shall Charge for casting ingots, &c. be equal to, but not exceed, the actual cost of the operation, including labor, wastage, use of machinery, materials, &c., to be regulated from time to time by the secretary of the treasury. 10 Stat. 212. lion received for 44. When private establishments shall be made to refine gold bullion, the secretary 3 March 1853 2 5. of the treasury, if he shall deem them capable of executing such work, is hereby authorized and required to limit the amount thereof, which shall be refined in the mint at Amount of bulPhiladelphia, from quarter to quarter, and to reduce the same progressively as such refining to be establishments shall be extended or multiplied; so as eventually, and as soon as may be, creased. gradually deto exclude refining from the mint, and to require that every deposit of gold bullion made therein for coinage shall be adapted to said purpose, without need of refining: Provided, That no advances in coin shall be made upon bullion after this regulation shall be carried into effect, except upon bullion refined as herein prescribed. Ibid. 1. 45. It shall be the duty of the superintendent of the mint to cause to be paid annually into the treasury of the United States the profits of the mint, and to present a quarterly Profits to be paid account of the expenditures of the mint to the secretary of the treasury. III. STANDARD WEIGHTS. into the treasury, 4 Stat. 278. pound. 46. For the purpose of securing a due conformity in weight of the coins of the United 19 May 1828 ? 2. States, to the provisions of the ninth section of the act, passed the 2d of April 1792, entitled "An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States," the Standard troy brass troy pound weight procured by the minister of the United States at London, in the year 1827, for the use of the mint, and now in the custody of the director thereof, shal be the standard troy pound of the mint of the United States, conformably to which the coinage thereof shall be regulated. procured. 47. It shall be the duty of the director of the mint to procure, and safely to keep a series Ibid. 23. of standard weights, corresponding to the aforesaid troy pound, consisting of a one Series of standpound weight, and the requisite subdivisions and multiples thereof, from the hundredth ard weights to be part of a grain to twenty-five pounds. And the troy weights, ordinarily employed in the transactions of the mint, shall be regulated according to the above standards, at least once in every year, under his inspection; and their accuracy tested annually in the pre- To be annually sence of the assay commissioners, on the day of the annual assay. IV. BRANCHES OF THE MINT. tested. 4 Stat. 774. 48. Branches of the mint of the United States shall be established as follows: one 3 March 1835 8 1. branch at the city of New Orleans for the coinage of gold and silver; one branch at the town of Charlotte, in Mecklinburg county, in the state of North Carolina, for the Branch mints coinage of gold only; and one branch at or near Dahlonega, in Lumpkin county, in the state of Georgia, also for the coinage of gold only. established. Ibid. 2. 49. So soon as the necessary buildings are erected for the purpose of well conducting the business of each of the said branches, the following officers (b) shall be appointed officers to be apupon the nomination of the president, and with the advice and consent of the senate: pointed. one superintendent, one treasurer, one assayer, one chief coiner, one melter and one refiner; and the superintendent of each mint shall engage and employ as many Clerks and work clerks (c) and as many subordinate workmen and servants as shall be provided for by law. And the salaries of the said officers and clerks shall be as follows: for the branch Salaries. at New Orleans, to the superintendent, the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars; to the treasurer, the sum of two thousand dollars; to the chief coiner, the sum of two thousand dollars; to the assayer, melter and refiner, the sum of two thousand dollars men. (a) But see infra, 43. (b) See infra, 53, 55. (c) See infra, 57. |