Some Mint tasks were not very glamorous
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
This little invoice from 1830 was found among NARA documents for 1836.
"Philadelphia May 14, 1830
Director the United States [Mint]
To Joseph Wright.
For cleansing Privy in cellar of the Edifice erecting [sic] under the appropriation for extending the Mint Establishment. $8.
The above is correct Jacob Sonder.
Paid May 15, 1830 per Sam Moore Director of the Mint the above amount in full.
/s/ Joseph Wright."
0
Comments
That's pretty neat!
When I see stuff like this I like to imagine how he was paid that $8 owing... 16 freshly minted Capped Bust Half Dollars??? A mix of newly minted silver coins??? Maybe some gold coins in the mix too??? Or just some old circulated coinage on hand???
I would guess Mr. Sonder didn't care, just getting paid for a dirty job well done...
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
BST transactions: dbldie55, jayPem, 78saen, UltraHighRelief, nibanny, liefgold, FallGuy, lkeigwin, mbogoman, Sandman70gt, keets, joeykoins, ianrussell (@GC), EagleEye, ThePennyLady, GRANDAM, Ilikecolor, Gluggo, okiedude, Voyageur, LJenkins11, fastfreddie, ms70, pursuitofliberty, ZoidMeister,Coin Finder, GotTheBug, edwardjulio, Coinnmore, Nickpatton, Namvet69,...
How much was $8 in today's money?
Fan of the Oxford Comma
CCAC Representative of the General Public
2021 Young Numismatist of the Year
Sonder was the one approving the payment. Wright received a warrant which he took to the Mint Treasurer for payment in cash -- probably silver coins of small denomination. Wright could conveniently use these for daily/weekly expenses. Half dollars were too large a value for working-class people to use. Gold coins were entirely useless to workers.
Not enough to clean US Mint privys. Who knows what you might encounter.
Congressmen who fell in and couldn't get out?
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
$200.42
eBay ID-bruceshort978
Successful BST:here and ATS, bumanchu, wdrob, hashtag, KeeNoooo, mikej61, Yonico, Meltdown, BAJJERFAN, Excaliber, lordmarcovan, cucamongacoin, robkool, bradyc, tonedcointrader, mumu, Windycity, astrotrain, tizofthe, overdate, rwyarmch, mkman123, Timbuk3,GBurger717, airplanenut, coinkid855 ,illini420, michaeldixon, Weiss, Morpheus, Deepcoin, Collectorcoins, AUandAG, D.Schwager.
To answer Kellen - a day's wage for a laborer was typically a dollar - or about $100 in today's terms.
I wonder what Joseph Wright found in that privy pit besides the s&*%#!. There was good stuff in privy pits, like lost coins. I wonder if he got to keep them. Privy pits are archaeological gold for modern excavators. Somewhere I have a story about a $5 gold piece being found in an Independence Hall pit.
Mike Rowe approved of this thread.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
Thanks for posting these little snapshots of life at the mint RogerB, very enjoyable!
Sam says to Joe: "Oh no! I dropped a dime down in the privy pit !"
Joe watches in puzzlement as Sam thinks a minute, then takes a half eagle out of his pocket and throws it into the privy pit
Joe: "Why in the heck did you do that, Sam??"
Sam: "Well, Joe, you don't think I'd go down in there for a just one dime, do you??"
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
I find your research fascinating.
I wonder if they paid him with capped bust halves.
If the privy cleaning contractor knew a mint employee in the coining department, he could collude to have him drop a few gold coins into the privy and then split the proceeds after the crap was removed. I just can't see a mint security guard sifting through all that crap looking for smuggled contraband.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
The gold would show up missing on the bullion account....