NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 17, 2023

A $3 Gold Piece Love Token
Ken Barr writes:

 

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: DECEMBER 10, 2023 Christmas 1884 Love Token on $1 Gold Piece (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n50a10.html)

More on Mint Document Destruction
Researchers Richard Kelly and Nancy Oliver write:

We begin with the uncovering of a letter dated August 16, 1926, in the records of the National Archives in San Bruno, CA. In it, San Francisco Mint Superintendent Michael J. Kelly responded to a query from Mint Director Robert J. Grant about document-destruction mandates for all the mints. (The directive came from a report – H.R. No. 1402, 69th Congress – dated June 8, 1926) In the letter, Kelly wrote, ‘In regard to the destruction of useless papers, documents, and records located in this institution, the material was prepared for sale.' He then listed several companies that were asked to submit bids to destroy the documents, and only one did – the Independent Paper Stock Company, at 5 cents per 100 pounds.

From Kelly's Disposition of Useless Papers letter, we found 87 items listed for the San Francisco Mint alone, of which we believe 11 were to be the greatest loss:

1. Coiner's delivery books, 1875-1900
2. Gold clipping, leather bound book, 1870-1911
3. Payroll, melting and refining department, leather bound book, 1892
4. Register of ordinary expenses, 1886-1904
5. Coiner's record of gold coinage submitted to the mint superintendent, 1889-1896
6. Visitor's register, 18979-1914
7. Coiner's record of gold coinage, 1882-1889
8. Records of gold coinage, 1879-1909
9. Gold coinage register, 1879-1898
10. Coinage department leather bound books, 1870-1878
11. Forty wooden chests of miscellaneous papers, 1856-1920 (Superintendent Kelly placed an asterisk beside the listing of the 40 wooden chests, saying they consist of papers that originated in the bookkeeper's office and the figures carried into permanent record books.)

However the San Francisco Mint was not the only mint that was listed for document destruction, for the report included 33 items from the Philadelphia Mint, and 4 more from the Carson City Mint. We have partial lists from both if anyone is interested.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
1894 LETTER ON MINT DOCUMENT DESTRUCTION (https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n50a11.html)

John Kallman
Jim Contursi writes:

 

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