(Hamilton, Alexander)

The Secretary of the Treasury Having Attentively considered the subject Referred to Him ... Relatively to the Establishment of a Mint, Most Respectfully submits the Result of His Enquiries and Reflections. [Philadelphia} Francis Childs and John Swaine, [1791]

Folio (13 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.; 348 x 210 mm, uncut) Caption title; light staining to first leaf, last two leaves spotted. Stabbed and stitched, blue paper wrappers; wrappers frayed, stained, and spotted. Brown cloth folding case.

Acquisition: William Reese

Evans 23920; Ford, Bibiliotheca Hamiltoniana 184

Folio (13 1/2 x 8 1/4 in.; 348 x 210 mm, uncut) Caption title; light staining to first leaf, last two leaves spotted. Stabbed and stitched, blue paper wrappers; wrappers frayed, stained, and spotted. Brown cloth folding case.
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One  of Hamilton's most brilliant fiscal papers, issued shortly after his famous report on the public credit.  As early as 1782, Robert Morris had strongly recommended the establishment of a Mint. Congress resolved to look into the matter in 1786 and renewed its resolve 15 April 1790.

In the present report Hamilton outlines what sort of units of money should be issued, the proportion of gold to silver ocins, the true weights and alloys of the coinage, sizes, and denominations, and finally the actual personnel of the Mint. Hamilton's report was almost completely adopted when the Mint officially opened in the spring of 1792. With coinage being one of Jefferson's pet interests and with Hamilton already overburdened with work, Washington placed the Mint under Jefferson's jurisdiction at the State Department. Jefferson, however, mismanaged the Mint: and Hamilton tried in vain "to arrange a swap whereby the post office would go to State and in exchange for the mint coming under Treasury control, where it belonged. Despite this wobbly start, the mint became a Philadelphia fixture, and when the government moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800 it stayed behind in the interim capital" (Chernow, Alexander Hamilton, pp. 356–357).