Distribution plan for new 1853 silver coins.
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
This letter gives us added insight into how the Mint Bureau and Treasury Department planned to distribute new quarters and dimes made at the reduced weight standard.
[The attached file is the original document.]
Mint of the United States
Philadelphia
June 9, 1853
Hon. James Guthrie
Secretary of the Treasury
Washington, City
Sir,
In compliance with the request contained in your favors of the 30th ultimo and 4th inst., I have directed the Treasurer to furnish silver coins to the offices herein named. They will be forwarded today per Messrs. Adams & Co.’s express subject to the same regulations which were adopted in regard to the distribution of the 3 cent pieces.
The amount is as follows:
Treasury at Washington $2,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Treasury at Boston $2,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Treasury at New York $3,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Treasury at Charleston $1,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Treasury at St. Louis $1,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Depositories at Baltimore $2,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Depositories at Norfolk $1,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Depositories at Savannah $1,000 one half in q. dollars, ½ in dimes
Total $12,000
This amount is as much as can be furnished at present. I will direct the sending forward of further sums when the deliveries of coin to the Treasurer of the Mint will warrant it. I would be glad to have your opinion as to the amount necessary to meet the wants of the several offices above named. Hereafter the office at St. Louis may be supplied from the Branch Mint at New Orleans, to accomplish which I will give the Superintendent the necessary instructions.
I have the honor to be, with great respect,
Your obedient servant,
James Ross Snowden
Comments
Wow - think about all those sparkling new A&R quarters!
Are "O"-Mint pieces still concentrated in the St. Louis area? Attics, cookie jars, old pants pockets....?
This may sound stupid & I just came in out of the sun,
but why is that total $12,000 and not $13,000 ?
R.I.P. Bear
I'll return to the sun then.
R.I.P. Bear
For New York City that was only $1,500 in quarters - 6,000 pieces; and $1,500 in dimes - 15,000 pieces.
Interesting letter. Thank you for sharing.
Question: What is meant by "in your favors of the 30th ultimo and 4th inst."?
Thank you for sharing this information in a systematic format.
This is an example of an application of "the new math" in the mid 19th century.
Having been a "victim" of the new math as a student, especially in my college calculus courses, I can relate to how such an error would have occurred.
Interesting... and I do not recall seeing the terminology "in your favors of the 30th ultimo and 4th inst." before... Cheers, RickO
Dear Sir,—About eight days ago I was honored with your favor of the 20th ultimo.
Patrick Henry
I believe this is a correspondence term used at the time to refer to a prior
communication between the two parties. He refers to a letter on the 30th &
another on the 4th of the month about this topic.
R.I.P. Bear
In other words,,, ,,,
Word Origin and History for ultimo
"in the month preceding the present," 1610s, common in abbreviated form ult. in 18c.-19c. correspondence and newspapers, from Latin ultimo (mense) "of last (month)," ablative singular masc. of ultimus "last" (see ultimate). Earlier it was used in the sense of "on the last day of the month specified" (1580s). Contrasted with proximo "in the next (month)," from Latin proximo (mense).
R.I.P. Bear
Yep! Use of these three terms began to fade in the 1870s and were largely gone from government correspondence by about 1920. Other changes in letter conventions and style seem to have their origin with invention of a practical typewriter.
Treasury prohibited use of handwritten letters in 1897.
Inexpensive telephone connections also changed official internal correspondence. Letters written after about 1915 are much less detailed and contain fewer clues about prior discussions than older ones.
Today we would use the actual month, i.e. May 30th and June 4th.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")