Coinage At Philadelphia

The sil ver bullion which is now being received at the Philadelphia Mint for parting is inainly íroin the Consolidated Virginia Mine, in Nevada, and contains 40 per cent, of gold, 50 per cent, of silver, and 10 per cent, of base metal. The bullion is known as the dore, or silver containing gold. The Mint is supplied with bullioD as rapidly as is required for coinage purposes. In addition, the Assay Office in New York supplies the Mint with fine silver sufíicient to insuro a coinage of $1,000,000 per month in subsidiary silver coin. The standard fineness of the coin is made of 900 parte of pure silver and 100 parts of pure copper alloy. The law of 1873 has somewhat increased the weight of the subsidiary coin, so that the coins at present issued are a trifie heavier than the coin issued prior to the lst of April, 1873, and are made to correspond in weight with the French coin. At present the subsidiary coins now issued are the halfdollar, quarter-dollar, twenty-cent piece and dime. The half-dollar weighs 192.9 grains. This piece formerly weighed 192 grains. The quarter-dollar now weighs 96.45 grains ; it formerly weighed 96 grains. The new twenty-cent piece j weighs 77.16 grains, and the dime weighs 38.58 grains ; the latter formerly weighed 38.4 grains. These are the only silver coins authorized, excepting the trade dollar, which is a commercial