Gold and silver coins lifespan

[JeanK]

Another just-for-fun article from an old newspaper August 18, 1899:

"A gold coin passes from one to another 2,000,000,000 times before the stamp of impression upon it becomes obliterated by friction, while a silver coin changes at 3,250,000,000 times before it becomes effaced."

I am trying to figure out who had the time to determine this statistic...

Jean

[Steven]

Someone that was all thumbs??

[RWBILLER]

I would like to know how many statisticians I takes to go around the world if lined up head to toe parallel!

[Maineman750]

With a population of 76 million in 1899, that means every person in the US would have to handle a gold coin 26.6 times....I'm finding that statistic a little hard to believe

[JeanK]

I think it is funny that statistics can be publicized without proof.
Jean

[pman860507]

With a population of 76 million in 1899, that means every person in the US would have to handle a gold coin 26.6 times....I'm finding that statistic a little hard to believe

Nope. Just the rich handling each coin 1,000's of times

[Maineman750]

I think it is funny that statistics can be publicized without proof.
Jean

Just goes to show the media hasn't changed in the last 100 years

[wapa]

Interesting information. Statistics are always interesting but unless we can see the method to obtain them, sometimes they are hard to believe. Who knows now with the ability to check things down to parts per trillion maybe some guy rubbed a coin ten times and somehow checked the coin to compare before rubbing and based on those results came up with the 2 billion rubs. Those silver coins are pretty darn tough compared to the gold ones though. And no study on copper coins.

[JeanK]

I am with you there Maineman. There was a nice long article about trade with Europe and how bad it would be if American raw materials, such as iron was shipped overseas for fabrication, that someone else would be paid half as much Americans would make doing the same job here. They were smarter in 1899 than we seem to be in our modern age.
Jean