Coin counting machines at Treasury and the mints. 1916-date photos added.
RogerB
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This comment was made in another post: "The Mint Bureau did not approve mechanical counters until the 1930s. It was felt that they marred the coins."
I should clarify this comment. Mechanical coin counting machines were invented about the same time as the typewriter. Several companies, including Brandt Cashier Co., made them for banks, transit companies and retail stores - any place that handled large quantities of coins. (The also made coin payment machines that could dispense a specific value of coins for weekly pay envelopes, etc.)
The Sub-treasuries and treasury HQ in Washington used mechanical counters, but the Mint Bureau refused. The mint's view was that the machines damaged new coins and mint officers wanted the pubic to see their coins in as close to perfect condition as possible. In the 1960s bags of dollars that had been repackaged by FRBs or Treasury were noticeably inferior to those direct from a US Mint.
When large issues of coinage revived in 1934, the volume became too great for efficient use of counting boards. Director Ross, as part of her modernization program, gradually introduced counting machines and expanded bulk weighing operations.
References to Brandt Cashier are in Renaissance of American Coinage 1909-1915.
Comments
An interesting story that shows that the United States Mint really did care about the quality of the coins they produced.
At least at the Philadelphia Mint.
Pete
The same policy applied to all US Mints.
Working in the coin shop I noticed that BU bags of silver (we got in a few that had been put aside back in the day) did tend to jam the counting machine more. I assume that it was because of the sharp edges that had not had a chance to get worn off in circulation.
Thanks, RogerB. You and CaptHenway are the bedrock.
RE: "I assume that it was because of the sharp edges that had not had a chance to get worn off in circulation."
Excellent observations and probably correct. Even today, some new coins have enough fin or especially sharp reeds that confuse vending machines.
Thanks for the information Roger - and Capt.....It may also explain why I have seen NEW dimes rejected by coinstar occasionally... about three this year...Cheers, RickO
Some years ago we bought in a batch of modern silver proof sets that had gotten water damaged and were ruined as Proof sets. We busted them out of the cases and threw the silver into our coin counter. Epic fail! They kept jamming the machine.
I later asked around and found that some of the big bullion dealers paid LESS for modern 90% silver Proofs as bulk silver because it jammed their machines!
Shades of the first 1916 Weinman dime production in August of that year. AT&T complained that they stuck in their pay telephones on testing. Weinman had to revise the design yet again.
Counting machines were phased out at the mint when they stopped bagging coins circa 1995. Now they use what they call balistic bags which are filled by weight and hold as much as an old pallet of coins did. The bags are dumped into hoppers by the counting houses contracted by the FED. Almost no handling of coin is still done by the FED branches.
Here are two photos from 1916 showing coin counting. The top one was taken at the New York Assay Office, and the bottom was taken at the Philadelphia Mint. In the 2nd photo, notice use of a counting board rather than a mechanical counter.
1916 NYAO
[Removed large image. Little interest.]
1916 Philadelphia Mint
[Removed large image. Little interest.]
A Silver Avalanche
A Slide of Two Million Silver Dollars at the
Philadelphia Mint.
A portion of the $50,000,000 that was stored
in vault C at the mint came very close to being a
cause of disaster to several clerks who were counting
the coin on Tuesday afternoon. An avalanche of silver dollars,
released from their bundles through the rotting of the bags,
poured down into the space were the clerks were standing,
and only through their hasty escape was a loss of life prevented.
The coin was piled up in bags to a height of 12 feet and a width
of 8 feet. The vault is damp, and the bags had become moldy and
frail.
About 8 o'clock, as Welington Morris, an employee, was standing on
top of the pile raking in some loose dollars, he trod into a bag, and
the silver dollars at once began to slide out. Like a snowball on a mountain
side, the mass of silver dollars grew in size. There was an ominous rumble,
and the clerks at the foot of the pile looked up in surprise. Seeing the impending
danger, a wild break was made for the door. Serious injury to Morris,
was feared, but he succeeded in escaping unhurt.
The impact of the dollars shook the mint building as by an earthquake,
and intense excitement prevailed among the employees. It is estimated
that the amount which fell was valued at fully $2,000,000 and weighed 112,000
pounds.
The accident caused a change to be made in the method of counting. Heretofore the
counting has been facilitated by the use of a pair of scales, $1,000 being counted
and weighed at a time. Now it will be necessary to count the dollars, one by one,
and the work will probably consume six months, possibly an entire year....
May 31, 1894 Los Angeles Herald