The E-Sylum:  Volume 9, Number 12, March 19, 2006, Article 18

AMERICAN BRASS COMPANY's ROLE IN CLAD COINAGE

"With reference to Dick Johnson's article on the mid 19th
century thermoplastics industry and its influence on tokens
and medals, Robert Hawes writes:

"Scovill Mfg was not the only Waterbury firm engaged in numismatic
material. My Father-in-law, Carl E. Woodward was Director of Sales
Promotion and Advertising for American Brass Company of Waterbury
Connecticut in the early 1960's. One day he handed me two pieces
of cupro-nickel metal sandwiching a solid copper core and said
"This is what our new coins will be made of".  That information
was followed later by a tour of the ABC rolling mill where I
watched bars of metal prepared by Olin Mathisen of Texas be rolled
into thin coils of clad metal to be shipped to the mint for coining.
After coining, the mint returned all the scrap to be melted down
and the process repeated.

As a result of the tour I managed to acquire several specimens
of web metal in the various stages of rolling and the final
stage of scrap. To celebrate the contract with the government,
ABC had made 50 small clad metal bars serially numbered to mark
the occasion. There were 3 extra produced without numbers, one
of which was given to me by my father-in-law. I have searched for
over 40 years to find another without luck. ABC also made other
items out of the clad metal to see if it had commercial possibilities,
one of which being a wine tasting cup (which I have). Fred Weinberg
has seen these and I also have won several awards for exhibits of
this material through the years."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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