Folder: S.F. Mint-New-Interior.
Newscopy: "One hundred years ago tomorrow San Francisco, the miner's mecca, opened a U. S. branch Mint. That meant the city had money to circulate - American money. That period, when gold dust could be transformed to gold coins, began the great epoch of trade for San Francisco. Today there are no gold coins in circulation. Today, when gold is shipped to the Mint, it is stored in underground vaults. ASSAYING METHODS - But apart from that, and the addition of electric power and a better pay scale, the whole process of running the Mint is virtually unchanged from 100 years ago or even longer. First step after metal is sold to the Mint is the assay. This discloses, chemically, the fineness of gold or silver content in the deposit and its value..."
Newscopy (continued): "The same assay techniques are used: Granulation, when in a hurry, the dropping of a bit of molten gold into cold water, then hardening and pressing it and applying the acid test; or the slower muffle-furnace test, where tiny cups of crushed bone ash hold the metal fragment and the furnace soaks away all alloys and leave the gold measurable. POURED INTO INGOTS - The metal is then refined and purified to one-thousandth and is poured into ingots. Gold ingots head for lock and key. Silver, copper and nickel ingots are rolled into strips, stamped into coin blanks, cleaned, annealed and 'upset,' the process which means pushing up the raised edge all coins have, to take most of the wear. Time has eased the work in the adjusting room where each coin blank is individually weighed. Women used to sit at long tables weighing each coin blank by hand, sometimes 90 women toiling at a time. Overweight blanks were filed by hand to correct size..."
Newscopy (continued): "Today delicate machines, 10 to a bank, do this meticulous weighing job automatically. The pressroom works the same, even works with some presses 75 years old. The blanks are fed in mechanically now, not by hand. Electric motors, not steam, run them. Newest invention has made it possible to strike a double die and make two coins instead of one. The face is in the top die: this is dated and must be destroyed at year's end, if it lasts that long. The bottom 'eagle' side of the die is 'tails.' Around the 'collar' in which the coin fits other engraved dies press on, in the same blow, the ribbing of a coin's side called the 'reeding.' This prevents any nibbles of precious metal from the sides by folks who might gather silver by filing off a little before spending their dimes and quarters. The coins minted today are all just about the same as those minted 100 years ago, except for abolition of the gold ones. As for what they will buy - that isn't regulated at the Mint."
