Q.David Bowers
In the early days the Mint operated 11 hours daily. From March 10th until September 10th the workday began at 5 a.m. and continued until 8 a.m., at which time one hour was allowed for breakfast. At 9 a.m. work resumed and continued until 1 p.m. Two hours were set aside for lunch before work began at 3 p.m. At 7 p.m. the Mint closed. From the 10th of September until the 10th of March, during the darker winter months, the work day was ten hours long, one hour shorter than the summer, and began at 7 a.m. Breakfast was from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. and lunch was from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The Mint closed at 7 p.m.
A pay roster of October 10, 1795, reveals that the following salaries were paid at the Mint: Henry William DeSaussure, director, $2,000 per year; Nicholas Way, treasurer, $1,200; Henry Voight, chief coiner, $1,500; Albion Cox, assayer, $1,500; Robert Scot, engraver, $1,200; David Ott, melter and refiner (pro tern), $1,200; Nathan Thomas, clerk to treasurer, $700; Issac Hough, clerk to director and assayer, $500; Lodewick Sharp, clerk to chief coiner, $500; John S. Gardiner, assistant engraver, $936; and Adam Eckfeldt, die sinker and turner $500.
Wages for workmen ranged from 50c per day paid to Sarah Waldrake and Rachel Summers, who adjusted the weight of planchets, to $1.80 per day for John Schreiner, the chief pressman.
By 1800 the Mint had been in operation for the best part of the decade. Problems continued toplague the institution and those connected with it. Coinage shipments were irregular. The Mint claimed it was difficult to distribute copper cents for there was little demand for them. On the other hand, banks reported that they did not have an adequate supply of cents because it was impossible to procure them from the Mint. Contradictions abounded.
Expenses were high. There were many complaints about the conduct of employees and officers of the Mint, many of whom used the Mint facilities for private purposes or conducted unrelated business during working hours.
On March 14, 1800, a committee of the United States Senate, chaired by James Hillhouse (who earlier was involved with the copper coinage of Connecticut in 1785), recommended that the Mint be abolished for the coinage expense was too high in relation to production. Coins that were released into circulation often were hoarded and did not remain in commercial channels, and there were other problems. Hillhouse recommended that:
Perhaps a more economical and the most effectual mode would be by contract ... as the removal of the Mint must be attended with expense, and probably a derangement of many of the officers, if a change of the system is to take place, the present is beyond a doubt the most convenient time for effecting it.
Accordingly, the Senate on May 5, 1800, resolved to abolish the Mint and to arrange with the Bank of the United States for a contract coinage. However, it was ultimately decided that the Mint should be continued in operation at least through the early part of 1801. The Mint remained open. In 1802 there were additional complaints, resulting in the introduction in Congress in April of that year of another bill to end operation of the coining facility. At one time the Mint seemed to be so near closing that Director Elias Boudinot made an inventory of the Mint's assets. The debate continued through 1802 and early 1803. Finally, on January 18, 1803, the proposal died while in the hands of the Committee on Unfinished Business.
Gold and silver coins produced by the Mint did not circulate readily. When Alexander Hamilton first pro-posed the ratio of values between gold and silver to be 15 to 1 the figures represented the current world market for those ~ metals. By 1799 the ratio in Europe had climbed to nearly 16 to 1, resulting in undervaluation of gold coins. Many if not most gold issues left the country and were melted down into gold bullion. The gold in a $10 eagle was worth more than ten silver dollars. At the same time new silver dollars from the United States Mint could be obtained by exchanging worn Spanish dollars of lesser weight and value, which resulted in the massive export of freshly-minted fullweight United States dollars. Because of this situation, coinage of the $10 and $1 denominations was suspended in 1804. This effectively put an end to the practices of gold and silver speculators. Later, the same problem was to recur. Gold coins of the 1820s and early 1830s (prior to August 1834) were minted in large quantities, however few actually reached circulation. Most were melted, for their intrinsic value was slightly higher than their face value.
John Reich joined the Mint in 1807 as an assistant to Robert Scot. He came from Germany, it was said, at the request of Henry Voigt, the chief coiner. Reich remained at the Mint for about a decade, reportedly resigning on March 31, 1817, due to ill health. Beginning with the new half dollar and $5 issues of 1807, the tendency was to make coins of all denominations bear the same design. The practice of having different coins of different denominations and metallic content bearing the same emblems was sharply criticized. In the 1830s the policy was again changed, and different designs were used for coins of different metals.
In 1808 Moritz Furst, a German, became an assistant to the engraver. He served for over two decades, during which time he engraved medals for the heroes of the War of 1812, various Indian peace medals, and other items. Apparently most if not all of his employment as an assistant engraver was done on a contractual basis, for he was not considered to be a regular employee of the Mint. During the same period he advertised his independent services as a die sinker and engraver. The patronage of Philadelphia citizens was solicited.
During the first decade of the 19th century, copper planchets for cents were received regularly from Boulton & Watt of Birmingham. The final importation consisted of 20 tons in 1812. After that point the War of 1812 with England forced suspension of shipments. On December 2, 1814, the director of the Mint instructed that the remaining supply of 357,830 copper planchets be struck into one-cent pieces and that they be used to pay the wages of workmen at the Mint. Due to lack of copper no cents were struck the following year, 1815. In February 1816, by which time the war had ended, 25 additional tons of copper were ordered from Boulton.
Following the death of Henry Voigt in 1814, Adam Eckfeldt, who had served at the Mint since its earliest years, was named to the post of chief coiner, a position which he continued until 1839. His mechanical skill, generosity, and personality were widely admired. After his resignation he continued to be a frequent visitor at the Mint, often giving advice. He died on February 6, 1852, at the age of 83.