Enclosure: Assay of Foreign Coins, 7 January 1793
Enclosure
Assay of Foreign Coins
| In 24 Grains | specific gravity | In 24 Grains | specific gravity | ||||||||||||
| Fine Gold | Alloy | Fine Gold | Alloy | ||||||||||||
| Date | Grs. | 32d Parts | grs. | 32d parts | Date | Grs. | 32d parts | Grs. | 32d parts | ||||||
| French Guineas |  |
1726 | 21. | 16 | 2. | 16 | 17.48 | English
Guineas |
|
1755 | 21. | 28 | 2. | 4 | 17.78 |
| 1734 | 21. | 19 | 2. | 13 | 17.38 | 1777 | 21. | 31 | 2. | 1 | 17.75 | ||||
| 1742 | 21. | 26 | 2. | 6 | 17.58 | 1785 | 21. | 30 | 2. | 2 | 17.78 | ||||
| 1753 | 21. | 3 | 2. | 29 | 17. 23 | 1788 | 21. | 31 | 2. | 1 | 17. 79 | ||||
| 1775 | 21. | 22 | 2. | 10 | 17. 57 | 1789 | 22. | 3 | 1. | 29 | 17. 78 | ||||
| Double | 1786 | 21. | 22 | 2. | 10 | 17. 51 | 1791 | 22. | 1 | 1. | 31 | 17. 74 | |||
| do. | 1789 | 21. | 22 | 2. | 10 | 17. 50 | Half | 1739 | 21. | 31 | 2. | 1 | 17. 63 | ||
| 1790 | 21. | 25 | 2. | 7 | 17. 57 | Joannes’ | 1770 | 22. | 5 | 1. | 27 | 17. 78 | |||
| Spanish | 1776 | 21. | 21 | 2. | 11 | 17. 53 | of | 1776 | 22. | 5 | 1. | 27 | 17. 87 | ||
| Pistoles | 1780 | 21. | 0 | 3. | 0 | 17. 57 | Portugal | 1785 | 21. | 30 | 2. | 2 | 17. 68 | ||
| 1786 | 21. | 18 | 2. | 14 | 17. 63 | 1788 | 21. | 31 | 2. | 1 | 17. 78 | ||||
| 1788 | 21. | 2 | 2. | 30 | 17. 0 | ||||||||||
| In 12 Ounces | In 12 Ounces | ||||||
| Fine Silver | Alloy | Fine silver | Alloy | ||||
| Oz. dwt. grs. | Oz. dwt. grs. | Oz. dwt. grs. | Oz. dwt. grs. | ||||
| English half Crown of Willm. III | 10. 19. 9½ | 1. 0. 14½ | Spanish Dollar of | 1772 | 10. 15. 5 | 1. 4. 19 | |
| Engl. Shillg. | 1787 | 11. 0. 2½ | 0. 19. 21½ | do. | 1782 | 10. 14. 2½ | 1. 5. 21½ |
| French Crown | 1791 | 10. 16. 0 | 1. 4. 0 | do. | 1790 | 10. 14. 0 | 1. 6. 0 |
| do. Half Crown | 1739 | 10. 17. 0 | 1. 3. | do. | 1791 | 10. 14. 21½ | 1. 5. 2½ |
| do. | 1792 | 10. 16. 19 | 1. 3. 5 | ||||
Assayed by Mr. David Ott, under my Inspection, at the Mint, in pursuance of a resolution of Congress of Nov. 29th. 1792. I have added the specific gravity of each piece of Gold Coin.
Mint January 7. 1793.
Davd. Rittenhouse
Director of the Mint
Tr (DNA: RG 59, MLR); in the hand of George Taylor, Jr.; marked “(Copy)”; at head of text in a different ink: “B.” PrC (DLC). PrC of another Tr (DNA: RG 59, MLR); in a clerk’s hand. Tr (Lb in same, SDR). Enclosed in Report on Foreign Coinage, 8 Jan. 1793, and TJ to George Washington, 8 Jan. 1793. TJ also sent the assays to Congressman John Page of Virginia, for he wrote a brief note of this date to his longtime friend covering “the result of Mr. Rittenhouse’s experiments” (Tr in DLC: TJ Papers, 81: 13968; undated; 19th-century copy).