1896 Bryan Money, Free Silver One Dime, Zerbe-32, Schornstein-326, XF-AU.
“Type metal” (lead and antimony). 44mm. Cast by the firm of S.D. Childs & Co. and catalogued by Farran Zerbe in his July 1926 treatise in The Numismatist. This type is categorized as a Satirical issue (as opposed to Comparative) among the 141 varieties of Bryan Money. They were struck as part of the campaign for bimetallism led by William Jennings Bryan in 1896 (and later in 1900). The fight for free silver was an attempt to put the United States back on a bimetallic standard after a gold standard was effectively instituted in 1873. It was believed that doing so would increase the money supply and improve access to credit. For more information on Bryan Money see Zerbe’s article or this summary on The Heritage Blog.
“Type metal” (lead and antimony). 44mm. Cast by the firm of S.D. Childs & Co. and catalogued by Farran Zerbe in his July 1926 treatise in The Numismatist. This type is categorized as a Satirical issue (as opposed to Comparative) among the 141 varieties of Bryan Money. They were struck as part of the campaign for bimetallism led by William Jennings Bryan in 1896 (and later in 1900). The fight for free silver was an attempt to put the United States back on a bimetallic standard after a gold standard was effectively instituted in 1873. It was believed that doing so would increase the money supply and improve access to credit. For more information on Bryan Money see Zerbe’s article or this summary on The Heritage Blog.
“Type metal” (lead and antimony). 44mm. Cast by the firm of S.D. Childs & Co. and catalogued by Farran Zerbe in his July 1926 treatise in The Numismatist. This type is categorized as a Satirical issue (as opposed to Comparative) among the 141 varieties of Bryan Money. They were struck as part of the campaign for bimetallism led by William Jennings Bryan in 1896 (and later in 1900). The fight for free silver was an attempt to put the United States back on a bimetallic standard after a gold standard was effectively instituted in 1873. It was believed that doing so would increase the money supply and improve access to credit. For more information on Bryan Money see Zerbe’s article or this summary on The Heritage Blog.