Act February 21, 1857.

§ 34. The pieces commonly known as the quarter, eighth and sixteenth of the Spanish pillar dollar and of the Mexican dollar shall be receivable at the Treasury of the United States and its several offices, and at the several post offices and land offices, at the rates of valuation following, viz.: the fourth of a dollar, or piece of two reals, at twenty cents; the eighth of a dollar, or piece of one real, at ten cents; and the sixteenth of a dollar, or half real, at five cents.

§ 35. All former acts authorizing the currency of foreign gold or silver coins, and declaring the same a legal tender in payment of debts, are hereby repealed; but it shall be the duty of the director of the mint to cause assays to be made from time to time of such foreign coins as may be known to commerce, to determine their average weight, fineness and value, and to embrace in his annual report a statement of the results thereof.

Act April 22, 1864.

§ 36. The standard weight of the cent coined at the mint of the United States shall be forty-eight grains, or one tenth of one ounce troy, and said cent shall be composed of ninety-five per centum of copper and five per centum of tin and zinc in such proportions as shall be determined by the director of the mint; and there shall be from time to time struck and coined at the mint a two-cent piece of the same composition, the standard weight of which shall be ninetysix grains, or one fifth of an ounce troy, with no greater deviation than four grains to each piece.

§ 37. The said coins shall be a legal tender in any payment, the one cent coin to the amount of ten cents, and the two cent coin to the amount of twenty cents; and it shall be lawful to pay out said coins in exchange for the lawful currency of the United States (except cents or half cents issued under former acts of Congress) in suitable sums, by the treasurer of the mint, and by such other depositaries as the secretary of the treasury may designate.

Act March 3, 1865.

§ 38. There shall be coined at the mint of the United States a three cent piece composed of copper and nickel in such proportion— not exceeding twenty-five (25) per centum of nickel as shall be determined by the director of the mint, the standard weight of which

shall be thirty grains, with no greater deviation than four grains to each piece.

§ 39. The said coin shall be a legal tender in any payment to the amount of sixty cents; and it shall be lawful to pay out said coins in exchange for the lawful currency of the United States (except cents or half cents or two cent pieces issued under former acts of Congress) in suitable sums, by the treasurer of the mint, and by such other depositaries as the secretary of the treasury may designate. Provided, that from and after the passage of this act no issues of fractional notes of the United States shall be of less denomination than five cents.

§ 40. The one and two cent coins of the United States shall not be a legal tender for any payment exceeding four cents in amount, (previous laws to the contrary repealed).

Act May 16, 1866.

§ 41. There shall be coined at the mint of the United States a five cent piece, composed of copper and nickel in such proportionnot exceeding twenty-five per centum of nickel-as shall be determined by the director of the mint, the standard weight of which shall be seventy-seven and sixteen hundredths grains, with no greater deviation than two grains to each piece.

§ 42. Said coins shall be a legal tender in any payment to the amount of one dollar; and it shall be lawful to pay out said coins for lawful currency of the United States, in suitable sums, by the treasurer of the mint, and by such other depositaries as the secretary of the treasury may designate.

§ 43. That from and after the passage of this act no issues of fractional notes of the United States shall be of less denomination than ten cents.

§ 44. It shall be lawful for the treasurer and the several assistant treasurers of the United States to redeem in national currency, under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the secretary of the treasury, the coins herein authorized to be issued when presented in sums of not less than one hundred dollars.

Act March 3, 1871.

§ 45. That the secretary of the treasury is required to redeem in lawful money all copper, bronze, copper-nickel and base-metal coinage of every kind hitherto authorized by law, when presented in sums of not less than twenty dollars.

Act February 12, 1873.

§ 46. That the gold coins of the United States shall be a One Dollar Piece, which, at the standard weight of twenty-five and eight-tenths (25%) grains, shall be the Unit of Value; a Quarter Eagle, or two and a half dollar piece; a Three Dollar Piece; a Half Eagle, or five dollar piece; an Eagle, or ten dollar piece; and a Double Eagle, or twenty dollar piece. And the standard weight of the Gold Dollar shall be twenty-five and eight-tenths grains; of the Quarter Eagle sixty-four and one-half grains; of the Three Dollar Piece seventy-seven and four-tenths grains; of the Half Eagle one hundred and twenty-nine grains; of the Eagle two hundred and fifty-eight grains; of the Double Eagle five hundred and sixteen grains, which coins shall be a legal tender in all payments at their nominal value when not below the standard weight and limit of tolerance provided in this act, and that when reduced in weight below said standard and tolerance shall be a legal tender in proportion to their actual weight.

Any gold coins of the United States, if reduced by natural abrasion not more than a half of one per cent below the standard weight after twenty years' circulation, and at a ratable proportion for any less period, shall be received at their nominal value at the United States treasury.

§ 47. The silver coins of the United States shall be a Trade Dollar, a Half Dollar, a Quarter Dollar, a Dime. And the weight of the Trade Dollar shall be four hundred and twenty (420) grains troy; the weight of the Half Dollar shall be twelve grams and one half of a gram; the Quarter Dollar and the Dime shall be respectively one half and one fifth the weight of said half dollar; and said coins shall be a legal tender at their nominal value for any amount not exceeding five dollars in one payment.

§ 48. The standard for both gold and silver coins of the United States shall be such that of one thousand parts by weight nine hundred shall be of pure metal and one hundred of alloy. The alloy of the silver coins shall be of copper. The alloy of the gold coins shall be of copper or of copper and silver, but the silver shall in no case exceed one tenth of the whole alloy.

§ 49. The minor coins of the United States shall be a Five Cent Piece, a Three Cent Piece and a One Cent Piece. The alloy for the five and three cent pieces shall be of copper and nickel, to be composed of three-fourths copper and one-fourth nickel. The alloy of the one cent piece shall be ninety-five per centum of copper and five

per centum of tin and zinc, in such proportions as shall be determined by the director of the mint. The weight of the five cent piece shall be seventy-seven and sixteen-hundredths grains troy; of the three cent piece thirty grains, and of the one cent piece forty-eight grains.

§ 50. No coins, either of gold, silver or minor coinage, shall hereafter be issued from the mint other than those of the denominations, standards and weights set forth in this title.

§ 51. Silver coins, other than the trade dollars, shall be paid out at the several mints and at the assay office in New York city in exchange for gold coins at par, in sums not less than one hundred dollars.

§ 52. Nothing herein contained shall, however, prevent the payment of silver coins at their nominal value for silver parted from gold, as provided in this title, or for change less than one dollar in settlement of gold deposits.

§ 53. In adjusting the weights of the gold coins the following deviations shall not be exceeded in any single piece: In the double eagle and the eagle, one half of a grain; in the half eagle, the three dollar piece, the quarter eagle and the one dollar piece, one fourth of a grain, and in weighing a number of pieces together, when delivered by the coiner to the superintendent and by the superintendent to the depositor, the deviation from the standard weight shall not exceed one hundredth of an ounce in five thousand dollars in double eagles, eagles, half eagles or quarter eagles, or in one thousand dollars in three dollar pieces or one dollar pieces.

§ 54. In adjusting the weight of the silver coins the following deviations shall not be exceeded in any single piece: In the dollar, the half dollar, the quarter dollar and in the dime, one and one-half grains, and in weighing a large number of pieces the deviations shall not exceed two hundredths of an ounce in one thousand dollars, half dollars, or quarter dollars, and one hundredth of an ounce in one thousand dimes.

§ 55. In adjusting the weight of the minor coins provided by this title, there shall be no greater deviation allowed than three grains for the five cent piece, and two grains for the three and one cent pieces.

§ 56. That all other acts and parts of acts pertaining to the mints, assay offices and coinage of the United States, inconsistent with the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed: Provided, That this act shall not be construed to affect- any act done, right accrued, or penalty incurred under former acts, but every such right is hereby saved.

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Act March 3, 1873.

§ 57. The value of the sovereign, or pound sterling, shall be deemed equal to four dollars eighty-six cents and six and one-half mills; and all contracts made after the first day of January, 1874, based on an assumed par of exchange with Great Britain, of fifty-four pence to the dollar, or four dollars forty-four cents and four-ninths cents to the sovereign, or pound sterling, shall be null and void.

Act March 3, 1875.

§ 58. That there shall be from time to time coined at the mints of the United States, conformably in all respects to the coinage act of 1873, a coin of silver of the denomination of twenty cents, and of the weight of five grams. That the twenty cent piece shall be a legal tender at its nominal value for any amount not exceeding five dollars in any one payment. That in adjusting the weight of the twenty cent piece, the deviation from the standard weight shall not exceed one and one-half grains.

Act July 13, 1876.

§ 59. That the trade dollar shall not hereafter be a legal tender. (See Subsidiary Silver Coin Bill, page 201.)