APPENDIX,

CONTAINING LAWS RELATING TO COINAGE.

L... April, 1792.—An Act establishing a Mint, and regulating the Coins of the United States.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That there shall be from time to time struck and coined at the said mint, coins of gold, silver, and copper, of the following denominations, values and descriptions, viz. EAGLES each to be of the value of ten dollars or units, and to contain two hundred and forty-seven grains and four-eighths of a grain of pure, or two hundred and seventy grains of standard gold.

[Half eagles and quarter eagles of corresponding weights and fineness.]

DOLLARS OR UNITS- Each to be of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four-sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver.

[Half dollars, quarter dollars, dimes, and half dimes of corresponding weights and fineness.]

SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the proportional value of gold to silver in all coins which shall by law be current as money within the United States, shall be as fifteen to one, according to quantity in weight, of pure gold or pure silver; that is to say, every fifteen pounds weight of pure silver shall be of equal value in all payments, with one pound weight of

pure gold, and so in proportion as to any greater or less quantities of the respective metals.

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for any person or persons to bring to the said mint gold and silver bullion, in order to their being coined; and that the bullion so brought shall be there assayed and coined as speedily as may be after the receipt thereof, and that free of expense to the person or persons by whom the same shall have been brought. And as soon as the said bullion shall have been coined, the person or persons by whom the same shall have been delivered, shall upon demand receive in lieu thereof coins of the same species of bullion which shall have been so delivered, weight for weight, of the pure gold or pure silver therein contained: Provided nevertheless, That it shall be at the mutual option of the party or parties bringing such bullion, and of the director of the said mint, to make an immediate exchange of coins for standard bullion, with a deduction of one-half per cent. from the weight of pure gold, or pure silver contained in the said bullion, as an indemnification to the mint for the time which will necessarily be required for coining the said bullion, and for the advance which shall have been so made in coins.

SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That all the gold and silver coins which shall have been struck at, and issued from the said mint, shall be a lawful tender in all payments whatsoever, those of full weight according to the respective values herein before declared, and those of less than full weight at values proportional to their respective weights.

[Approved, April 2, 1792. 1 Statutes at Large, 246.]

II. ... June, 1834. - An Act concerning the gold coins of the United States, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted, That the gold coins of the United States shall contain the following quantities of metal, that is to say: each eagle shall contain two hundred and thirty-two grains of pure gold, and two hundred and fifty-eight grains of standard gold; each half eagle one hundred and sixteen grains of pure gold, and one hundred and twenty-nine grains of standard gold;

1834.]

CONTAINING LAWS RELATING TO COINAGE.

each quarter eagle shall contain fifty-eight grains of pure gold, and sixty-four and a half grains of standard gold; every such eagle shall be of the value of ten dollars; every such half eagle shall be of the value of five dollars; and every such quarter eagle shall be of the value of two dollars and fifty cents; and the said gold coins shall be receivable in all payments, when of full weight, according to their respective values; and when of less than full weight, at less values, proportioned to their respective actual weights.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all standard gold or silver deposited for coinage after the thirty-first of July next, shall be paid for in coin under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, within five days from the making of such deposit, deducting from the amount of said deposit of gold and silver one-half of one per centum: Provided, That no deduction shall be made unless said advance be required by such depositor within forty days.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all gold coins of the United States, minted anterior to the thirty-first day of July next, shall be receivable in all payments at the rate of ninetyfour and eight-tenths of a cent per pennyweight.

[Approved, June 28, 1834. 4 Statutes at Large, 699.]

III. January, 1837.

...

An Act supplementary to the act entitled "An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States."

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the standard for both gold and silver coins of the United States shall hereafter be such, that of one thousand parts by weight, nine hundred shall be of pure metal, and one hundred of alloy; and the alloy of the silver coins shall be of copper; and the alloy of the gold coins shall be of copper and silver, provided that the silver do not exceed one-half of the whole alloy.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That of the silver coins, the dollar shall be of the weight of four hundred and twelve and one-half grains; the half dollar of the weight of two bundred and six and one-fourth grains; the quarter dollar of the

weight of one hundred and three and one-eighth grains; the dime, or tenth part of a dollar, of the weight of forty-one and a quarter grains; and the half dime, or twentieth part of a dollar, of the weight of twenty grains, and five-eighths of a grain. And that dollars, half dollars, and quarter dollars, dimes, and half dimes, shall be legal tenders of payment, according to their nominal value, for any sums whatever.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That of the gold coins, the weight of the eagle shall be two hundred and fifty-eight grains; that of the half eagle one hundred and twenty-nine grains; and that of the quarter eagle sixty-four and one-half grains. And that for all sums whatever, the eagle shall be a legal tender of payment for ten dollars; the half eagle for five dollars; and the quarter eagle for two and a half dollars.

SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the silver coins heretofore issued at the mint of the United States, and the gold coins issued since the thirty-first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, shall continue to be legal tenders of payment for their nominal values, on the same terms as if they were of the coinage provided for by this act.

[Approved, January 18, 1837. 5 Statutes at Large, 136.]

IV. ... March, 1849. · An Act to authorize the Coinage of Gold Dollars and Double Eagles.

[This act authorizes the coinage of gold dollars and double eagles, "conformably in all respects to the standard for gold coins now established by law," and to be a legal tender in payment for all sums.]

[Approved, March 3, 1849. 9 Statutes at Large, 397.]

V.... February, 1853.- An Act amendatory of Existing Laws relative to the Half Dollar, Quarter Dollar, Dime, and Half Dime.

...

Be it enacted, That from and after the first day of June, eighteen hundred and fifty-three, the weight of the half dollar or piece of fifty cents shall be one hundred and ninety-two grains, and the quarter dollar, dime, and half dime, shall be, respectively, one-half, one-fifth, and one-tenth of the weight of said half dollar.

1853.]

CONTAINING LAWS RELATING TO COINAGE.

vii

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the silver coins issued in conformity with the above section, shall be legal tenders in payment of debts for all sums not exceeding five dollars.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That in order to procure bullion for the requisite coinage of the subdivisions of the dollar authorized by this act, the Treasurer of the Mint shall, with the approval of the Director, purchase such bullion with the bullion fund of the mint.

...

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That 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.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That no deposits for coinage into the half dollar, quarter dollar, dime, and half dime, shall hereafter be received, other than those made by the Treasurer of the Mint, as herein authorized, and upon account of the United States.

[Section 6 provides that when gold or silver is deposited for coinage, there shall be a charge to the depositor, in addition to the charge for refining or parting the metals, of one half of one per centum, this provision not applying to silver coined into the subdivisions of the dollar.]

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That from time to time there shall be struck and coined at the Mint of the United States, and the branches thereof, conformably in all respects to law, and conformably in all respects to the standard of gold coins now established by law, a coin of gold of the value of three dollars, or units.

[Approved, February 21, 1853. 10 Statutes at Large, 160.]

VL... February, 1873.- An Act revising and amending the Laws relative to the Mints, Assay-offices, and Coinage of the United States.

SEC. 14. That the gold coins of the United States shall be a one-dollar piece, which, at the standard weight of twenty-five