Who to act in absence of Direct

ent, or other officer.

p. 91.

nates or employés; and the Secretary of the Treasury may, at his discretion, increase the bonds of the superintendents. SEC. 3502. Whenever any officer of a mint or assay-office or, superintend- shall be temporarily absent, on account of sickness or any other cause, it shall be lawful for the superintendent, with Ibid., 8. 9, ante, the consent of such officer, to appoint some person attached to the mint to act in the place of such officer during his absence; but all such appointments shall be forthwith reported to the Director of the Mint for his approval; and in all cases whatsoever the principal shall be responsible for the acts of his representative. In case of the temporary absence of the superintendent, the chief clerk shall act in his place; in case of the temporary absence of the Director of the Mint the Secretary of the Treasury may designate some one to act in his place.

General duties of superintendents of mints.

p. 89.

SEC. 3503. The superintendent of each mint shall have the control thereof, the superintendence of the officers and Ibid., s. 4, ante, persons employed therein, and the supervision of the business thereof, subject to the approval of the Director of the Mint. He shall make reports to the Director of the Mint at such times and according to such forms as the Director may prescribe; which shall exhibit in detail, and under appropriate heads, the deposits of bullion, the amount of gold, silver, and minor coinage, and the amount of unparted, standard, and refined bars issued, and such other statistics and information as may be required.

Ibid.

SEC. 3504. He shall keep and render, quarter-yearly, to the Director of the Mint, for the purpose of adjustment according to such forms as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, regular and faithful accounts of his transactions with the other officers of the mint and the depositors; and shall also render to him a monthly statement of the ordinary expenses of the mint or assay-office under his charge. He shall also appoint all assistants, clerks, one of whom shall be designated "chief clerk," and workmen employed under his superintendence; but no person shall be appointed to employment in the offices of the assayer, melter and refiner, coiner, or engraver, except on the recommendation and nomination in writing of those officers, respectively. He shall forthwith report to the Director of the Mint the names of all persons appointed by him, the duties to be performed, the rate of compensation, the appropriation from which compensation is to be made, and the grounds of the appointment; and if the Director of the Mint shall disapprove the same, the appointment shall be vacated.

in weight by

Ibid., s,14, ante,

SEC. 3505. Any gold coins of the United States, if re- Coins reduced duced in weight by natural abrasion not more than one- abrasion. half of one per centum below the standard weight prescribed p. 93. by law, after a circulation of twenty years, as shown by the date of coinage, and at a ratable proportion for any period less than twenty years, shall be received at their nominal value by the United States Treasury and its offices, under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe for the protection of the government against fraudulent abrasion or other practices.

intendents in re

bullion.

SEC. 3506. The superintendent of each mint shall receive Duties of superand safely keep, until legally withdrawn, all moneys or spect to coin and bullion which shall be for the use or the expenses of the Ibid., s. 4, ante, mint. He shall receive all bullion brought to the mint for p. 89. assay or coinage; shall be the keeper of all bullion or coin in the mint, except while the same is legally in the hands of other officers; and shall deliver all coins struck at the mint to the persons to whom they shall be legally payable. From the report of the assayer and the weight of the bullion, he shall compute the value of each deposit, and also the amount of the charges or deductions, if any, of all which he shall give a detailed memorandum to the depositor; and he shall also give at the same time, under his hand, a certificate of the net amount of the deposit, to be paid in coins or bars of the same species of bullion as that deposited, the correctness of which certificate shall be verified by the assayer, who shall countersign the same, aud in all cases of transfer of coin or bullion, shall give and receive vouchers, stating the amount and character of such coin or bullion.

ers.

Ibid., s. 5, ante,

SEC. 3507. The assayer shall assay all metals and bullion, Duties of assaywhenever such assays are required in the operations of the mint; and shall make assays of coin or samples of bullion p. 90. whenever required by the superintendent.

SEC. 3508. The melter and refiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form ingots of standard silver or gold, and alloys for minor coinage, suitable for the coiner, from the metals legally delivered to him for that purpose; and shall also execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form bars conformable in all respects to the law, from the gold and silver bullion delivered to him for that purpose. He shall keep a careful record of all transactions with the superintendent, noting the weight and character of the bullion, and shall be responsibie for all bullion delivered to him until the same is returned to the superintendent and the proper vouchers obtained.

Duties of melt

ers and refiners.

Ibid., s. 6.

ers.

Ibid., s. 7.

Duties of coin- SEC. 3509. The coiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form coins, conformable in all respects to the law, from the standard gold and silver ingots, and alloys for minor coinage, legally delivered to him for that purpose; and shall be responsible for all bullion delivered to him, until the same is returned to the superintendent and the proper vouchers obtained.

Dutics of engravers.

Ibid., s. 8, ante,

p. 91.

Gold coins of the United States

Ibid., s. 14. ante,

p. 92.

SEC. 3510. The engraver shall prepare from the original dies already authorized all the working-dies required for use in the coinage of the several mints, and, when new coins or devices are authorized, shall, if required by the Director of the Mint, prepare the devices, models, molds, and matrices, or original dies, for the same; but the Director of the Mint shall nevertheless have power, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, to engage temporarily for this purpose the services of one or more artists, distinguished in their respective departments of art, who shall be paid for such service from the contingent appropri ation for the Mint at Philadelphia.

SEC. 3511. The gold coins of the United States shall be a and their weight. One-dollar piece, which, at the standard weight of twentyfive and eight-tenths 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, or two and a half dollar piece, sixty-four and a half grains; of the threedollar piece, seventy-seven and four-tenths grains; of the half-eagle, or five-dollar piece, one hundred and twenty-nine grains; of the eagle, or ten-dollar piece, two hundred and fifty-eight grains; of the double eagle, or twenty-dollar piece, five hundred and sixteen grains.

Recoinage gold coins. Ibid.

of

Silver coins and their weight.

p. 93.

SEC. 3512. Any gold coins in the Treasury of the United States, when reduced in weight by natural abrasion more than one-half of one per centum below the standard weight prescribed by law, shall be recoined.

SEC. 3513. The silver coins of the United States shall Ibid.,8. 15, ante, be a trade-dollar, a half-dollar, or fifty-cent piece, a quarterdollar, or twenty-five-cent piece, a dime, or ten-cent piece; [See acts 3 Mar., 1875, post, p. 146; and the weight of the trade-dollar shall be four hundred and April 17, 1876, post, p. 147; res. twenty grains troy; the weight of the half-dollar shall be No. 17, July 22, 1876, post, p. 148.] twelve grams and one-half of a gram; the quarter-dollar and the dime shall be, respectively, one-half and one-fifth of the weight of said half-dollar.

Ibid.,s. 13, ante,

SEC. 3514. The standard for both gold and silver coins of Standard for gold and silver the United States shall be such that of one thousand parts coins. by weight nine hundred shall be of pure metal and one hun- p. 92. dred 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.

coins,

their weight and

Ibid., 8. 16, ante,

SEC. 3515. The minor coins of the United States shall be Minor, a five-cent piece, a three-cent piece, and a one-cent piece. The alloy. alloy for the five and three cent pieces shall be of copper p. 93. and nickel, to be composed of three-fourths copper and onefourth 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 piece of five cents 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.

SEC. 3516. 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.

Issue of other coins prohibited. Ibid., s. 17.

upon coins.

SEC. 3517. Upon the coins there shall be the following Inscriptions devices and legends: Upon one side there shall be an im- Ibid, s. 18, ante, pression emblematic of liberty, with an inscription of the P. 94. word "Liberty" and the year of the coinage, and upon the reverse shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, with the inscriptions "United States of America" and "E Pluribus Unum," and a designation of the value of the coin; but on the gold dollar and three-dollar piece, the dime, five, three, and one cent piece, the figure of the eagle shall be omitted; and on the reverse of the silver trade-dollar the weight and the fineness of the coin shall be inscribed.

SEC. 3518. At the option of the owner gold or silver may be cast into bars of fine metal, or of standard fineness, or unparted, as he may prefer, with a stamp upon the same designating the weight and fineness, and with such devices impressed thereon as may be deemed expedient to prevent fraudulent imitation, and no such bars shall be issued of a less weight than five ounces.

SEC. 3519. Any owner of gold bullion may deposit the same at any mint, to be formed into coin or bars for his benefit. It shall be lawful, however, to refuse any deposit of less value than one hundred dollars, or any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operations of the Mint. In cases where gold and silver are combined, if either metal

Gold and silver

bars.

Ibid., 8. 19.

Coining posits may be re

gold bullion; when de

fused.

Ibid., s. 20.

Silver bullion

may be received

bars or trade-dol

lars.

p. 94.

be in such small proportion that it cannot be separated advantageously, no allowance shall be made to the depositor for its value.

SEC. 3520. Any owner of silver bullion may deposit the for forming into same at any mint, to be formed into bars, or into dollars of the weight of four hundred and twenty grains troy, desig Ibid.,9. 21, ante, pated in this Title as trade-dollars, and no deposit of silver for other coinage shall be received. Silver bullion contained in gold deposits, and separated therefrom, may, however, be paid for in silver coin, at such valuation as may be, from time to time, established by the Director of the Mint.

Weighing bull

ion and ascertaining its value.

Ibid., 8. 2.

Assay of bullion.

p. 95.

SEC. 3521. When bullion is deposited in any of the mints, it shall be weighed by the superintendent, and, when prac ticable, in the presence of the depositor, to whom a receipt shall be given, which shall state the description and weight of the bullion. When, however, the bullion is in such a state as to require melting, or the removal of base metals, before its value can be ascertained, the weight, after such operation, shall be considered as the true weight of the bullion deposited. The fitness of the bullion to be received shall be determined by the assayer, and the mode of melting by the melter and refiner.

SEC. 3522. From every parcel of bullion deposited for Ibid.,8. 23, ante, coinage or bars, the superintendent shall deliver to the assayer a sufficient portion for the purpose of being assayed. The bullion remaining from the operations of the assay shall be returned to the superintendent by the assayer.

Assayer to report to superin

SEC. 3523. The assayer shall report to the superintendent tendent qualityof the quality or fineness of the bullion assayed by him, and bullion assayed. Ibid., s. 24. such information as will enable him to compute the amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made to the depositor.

Charges for converting bullion, &c., into coin.

Ibid., s. 25.

part, by act Jan.

post, p. 143.]

SEC. 3524. The charge for converting standard gold bullion into coin shall be one-fifth of one per centum. The [Repealed, in charges for converting standard silver into trade-dollars for 14, 1875. 8. 2. See melting and refining when bullion is below standard, for toughening when metals are contained in it which render it unfit for coinage, for copper used for alloy when the bullion is above standard, for separating the gold and silver when these metals exist together in the bullion, and for the preparation of bars, shall be fixed, from time to time, by the Director, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury, so as to equal but not exceed, in their judgment, the actual average cost to each mint and assay-office of the material, labor, wastage, and use of machinery employed in each of the cases aforementioned.