Letters to President Lincoln

RogerB

Here are a couple of interesting letters to President Lincoln from persons interested in appointments at the Mint. One concerns Franklin Peale and the other is a request for appointment as Director. Library of Congress archives include many such appeals for government employment to newly elected presidents.

[Abraham Lincoln papers, Library of Congress]

silverpop

very interesting pieces of history

BillJones

In the 19th century new presidents were constantly hounded by office seekers. Lincoln compared them to a litter of pigs. He didn't have enough jobs for them all. His comment was, "Too many pigs, not enough tits."

Sometimes the whole unseemly process ended in disaster. A mentally unbalanced office seeker murdered James Garfield when he didn't get an appointment to be, I believe, the ambassador to Great Britain.

CaptHenway

I love the comment "from which he was removed by the locofocos for political purposes"!!!!!

RogerB

Andy Jackson promoted the spoils system and it took Civil Service laws 50-years later to gradually break it. Prior to Jackson, public service was considered an honor and duty if possible. After Civil Service it became a more merit-based job with excellent tenure but below-average pay. It wasn't until FDR in 1934 that overt political activity was prohibited by political appointees and this was reinforced and extended by the Hatch Act of 1939.

CaptHenway

Reminds me of a story I read in Readers Digest 50+ years ago, when the timing was plausible.

For decades this distinguished lady had been talking about the "Lincoln letter" that she had, but would never show to anybody in the family. Eventually she passed away well into her 90's, and after the funeral her family went though her effects to find this artifact from the great man.

Eventually they found it. It was a letter that she had written to President Lincoln as a child, but had never mailed!

dpoole

I'm not altogether sure why, CaptHenway, but that story seems utterly charming to me.

I can see how a child would treasure that creation, and how it could morph into such a private legend for someone even into their old age.

ricko

Impressive artifacts... what beautiful cursive in that second letter.... and now they are discontinuing teaching cursive in schools...Cheers, RickO

WDP

Roger, have you ever come across any correspondence between the first U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and Jacob Perkins of Newburyport, Mass.?"

Thanks.

Photo of the unique Perkins Pattern Dollar (uniface) by Jacob Perkins of Newburyport, Mass. and a 1942 Invoice from St. Louis coin dealer B. G. Johnson to B. Max Mehl selling this Pattern from the Col. Green Collection.
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Photos courtesy of W. David Perkins (Pattern) and the Newman Numismatic Portal (Invoice).

RogerB

This is all I found in my files relating to Perkins and coins. (He is frequently mentioned regarding steam engines)

Chapman catalog for Stickney collection, 1907.

400 (1793) Dollar. Bust of Washington in military costume
facing left, on a plain field surrounded by concentric
bands of various designs; in the outer one at the top in
incused letters is the word Washington. Struck on a
thin silver planchet, the reverse being the same design as
obverse incused. Silver. Extremely fine and perfect.
Size 26. See plate. Unique and unpublished, unknown
to everyone —not even in Baker's "Medallic Portraits of

|4.) It is wrapped in a piece of old paper and inscribed
in Mr. Stickney's hand writing —"$10 Pattern dollar
1793, by Jacob Perkins of Newburyport, given me by his
nephew—very rare."

HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF THE TOPSFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
VOLUME XXV
1920
TOPSFIELD, MASS.
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY

pp.127-131
The first Indian cents were coined from dies cut by Joseph Callender,
but he charged so much for his work that Jacob Perkins of Newburyport
was employed to make them thereafter. The mint-master
was Joshua Witherle who became popularly known as the "cent
maker." The mint was established at Boston Neck at a point near
what is now the corner of Washington and East Waltham streets….

WDP

@RogerB, thanks for the replies and information.

The first Indian cents were coined from dies cut by Joseph Callender,
but he charged so much for his work that Jacob Perkins of Newburyport
was employed to make them thereafter.

For those not aware, Jacob Perkins was paid to make dies for of the 1788 Massachusetts Cents and Half Cents, ie. the "Indian Cents" mentioned above. On the Perkins dies for 1788 the letters S in the word MASSACHUSETTS on the reverse are "closed," appearing almost like the number 8. Here is an example of the Perkins dies used in striking a 1788 Mass. Cent.

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RogerB

Interesting info! Thanks. How does Perkins' engraving compare to the alleged dollar pattern?