In the Treasure Corner - Early Coin Facts

[danhughes]

http://assets.libsyn.com/content/7064690

Why was the first United States Mint (pictured above) established in Philadelphia instead of Washington, D.C.?

Why did we abandon the shillings-and-pounds money of our homeland?

By federal law, the portrait of whom (or what) had to appear on all United States coins?

Who was the first president to appear on a regularly-circulated United States coin?

And what four coins authorized by the original Coinage Act are no longer minted for circulation?

Hear the answers to all these questions, and more, in this fast-moving three-minute program.

Listen at http://thetreasurecorner.com.

[del]

actually the first mint to produce federal coinage was in New Haven Connecticut Dan.

[OxShoeDrew]

Thanks for the program Dan, I wonder if you could clear something up. I have a 1787 Fugio, which I was under the impression was the first coin of the US. I just did a quick search and everyone was saying what you said...that the first coin was minted after the 1792 mint act. Could you clarify? Maybe I just got it wrong, wouldn't be novel. :)
Thanks again for your shows.

[danhughes]

Thanks, Del and Drew.

Here's my take: The coins minted in New Haven were authorized by the Continental Congress in 1787, and they were minted two years before the United States adopted the Constititution. Were those coins then the first "federal" coins? It depends on how you define "federal."

It's like the people who claim that there were 8 presidents before George Washington, because they were presidents of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.

Most people accept the beginning of the United States as the day the Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation (March 4, 1789). And in that case, the Fugios and the Connecticut Coppers don't count.

Plus, they were really ugly.

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[del]

Dan , the Fugio penny is the first "coin" or monies with the phrase "United States" on it in 1787 the very same year that Delaware ratified the the Constitution to become the 1st state.New Hampshire was the Ninth state in 1788 to accept the Constitution and make Federal Democracy the law of the land.These coins were minted throughout this process hence in my opinion the first federal coin of the new republic.If James Jarvis hadn't been a crook and scammed congress out of the copper or he had made the correct coin production totals in his first delivery , the coin would have continued to have been minted for at least a few more years or until 1792. Once more the coin was helped in designed by Benjamin Franklin , whats not to love about it ??

[danhughes]

Super story, Del! Thanks for taking the time to type it out for us.

What's the word "fugio" mean? And why the sundial?

[del]

Fugio is latin and loosely translates to "Time is Fleeing" or "Time Flies" hence the sundial for keeping time.

the phrase "MIND YOUR BUSINESS" was an ethical term back then and meant "Work hard"

[danhughes]

Got it! Thanks again!