ISSUE OF FINE GOLD BARS FOR GOLD COIN AND GOLD BULLION.

The value of the fine gold bars issued in exchange for gold coin and bullion monthly by the United States mints at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver, and the assay office at New York for the fiscal year 1917 was as follows

PURCHASE OF MINOR COINAGE METAL FOR USE IN DOMESTIC COINAGE.

During the fiscal year 1917 there were purchased 34,452,619.48 troy ounces of minor coinage metals at a cost of $762,919.10, as follows:

The amount of minor coins distributed from the mints during the fiscal year 1917 was $5,667,309.84, and the expenses for distribution were $31,298.94, as follows:

MINOR COINS OUTSTANDING.

The following statement shows the coinage of minor coins by denominations since 1793, the amount on hand, issued, melted, and outstanding June 30, 1917.

1 Deduct $42.69 value of old coins melted at San Francisco and Denver Mints, for the net amount issued and outstanding, $72,793,650.63.

The uncurrent minor coins melted at each mint are not necessarily those of former coinage of the same mint.

OPERATIONS OF THE MELTING AND REFINING AND OF THE COINING DEPARTMENTS, FISCAL YEAR 1917.

The aggregate quantity of metals operated upon in the above-mentioned departments of the coinage mints, and assay office at New York during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917, was 39,975,678.352 fine ounces of gold and 61,212,698.96 fine ounces of silver. There were also operated upon at the coinage mints 121,554,841.33 ounces of minor coinage metal. The figures in the table following are based on the actual figures obtained at the settlements of the accounts.

Legal limits of wastage on the whole amount delivered by the superintendent to operative officers, as prescribed in section 3542, Revised Statutes, is as follows: Melter and refiner-gold, 0.001; silver, 0.0015. Coiner-Gold, 0.0005; silver, 0.001.