January 18, 1837

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the officers of the mint of the United States shall be a director, treasurer, an assayer, a melter and refiner, a chief coiner and an engraver, to be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the senate.

And be it further enacted, That the respective duties of the officers of the mint shall be as follows:

The director shall have the control and management of the mint, the superintendence of the officers and persons employed therein, and the general regulation and supervision of the business of the several branches. And in the month of January of every year he shall make report to the President of the United States of the operations of the mint and its branches for the year preceeding. And also to the Secretary of the Treasury, from time to time, as said Secretary shall require, setting forth all the operations of the mint subsequent to the last report made upon the subject.

The treasurer shall receive, and safely keep all moneys which shall be for the use and support of the mint; shall keep all the current accounts of the mint, and pay all moneys due by the mint, on warrants from the director. He shall receive all bullion brought to the mint for coinage; shall be the keeper of all bullion and coin in the mint, except while the same is legally placed in the hands of other officers, and shall, on warrants from the director, deliver all coins struck at the mint to the persons to whom they shall be legally payable. And he shall keep regular and faithful accounts of all the transactions of the mint, in bullion and coins, both with the officers of the mint and the depositors; and shall present, quarter-yearly, to the Treasury Department of the United States, according to such forms as shall be prescribed by that department, an account of the receipts and disbursements of the mint, for the purpose of being adjusted and settled.

The assayer shall carefully assay all metals used in coinage, whenever such assays are required in the operations of the mint; and he shall also make assays of coins whenever instructed to do so by the director.

The melter and refiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form ingots of standard silver or gold, suitable for the chief coiner, from the metals legally delivered to him for that purpose.

The chief coiner shall execute all the operations which are necessary in order to form coins, conformable in all respects to the law, from the standard silver and gold ingots, and the copper planchets, legally delivered to him for this purpose.

The engraver shall prepare and engrave, with the legal devices and inscriptions, all the dies used in the coinage of the mint and its branches.

And be it further enacted, That the director shall appoint, with the approbation of the President, assistants to the assayer, melter and refiner, chief coiner, and engraver, and clerks for the director and treasurer, whenever, on representation made by the director to the President, it shall be the opinion of the President that such assistants or clerks are necessary. And it shall be the duty of the assistants to aid their principals in the execution of their respective offices, and of the clerks to perform such duties as shall be prescribed for them by the director.

And be it further enacted, That whenever any officer of the mint shall be temporarily absent, on account of sickness, or any other sufficient cause, it shall be lawful for the director, with the assent of said officer, to appoint some person attached to the mint, to act in the place of such officer during his absence, and that the director shall employ such workmen and servants in the mint as he shall from time [to time] find necessary.

And be it further enacted, That every officer, assistant, and clerk of the mint, shall, before he enters upon the execution of his office, take an oath or affirmation before some judge of the United States, or judge of the superior court or any court of record of any State, faithfully and diligently to perform the duties thereof.

And be it further enacted, That the following officers of the mint, before entering upon the execution of their respective offices, shall become bound to the United States, with one or more sureties, to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury, in the sums hereinafter mentioned, with condition for the faithful and diligent performance of the duties of their offices, viz: The treasurer in the sum of ten thousand dollars; the assayer in the sum of five thousand dollars; the melter and refiner in the sum of ten thousand dollars; the chief coiner in the sum of ten thousand dollars. And that similar bonds may also be required of the assistants and clerks, in such sums as the director shall determine, with the apporbation of the Secretary of the Treasury.

And be it further enacted, That there shall be allowed to the officers of the mint the following salaries per annum: To the director, for his services, including travelling expenses incurred in visiting the different branches, and all other charges whatever, three thousand five hundred dollars; to the treasurer, assayer, melter and refiner, chief coiner, and engraver, each, two thousand dollars; to the assistants and clerks, such annual salaries shall be allowed as the director may determine, with the approbation of the President: Provided, That an assistant shall not receive more than fifteen hundred dollars; and that a clerk shall not receive more than twelve hundred dollars; to the workmen and servants shall be allowed such wages, to be determined by the director, as may be customary and reasonable, according to their respective stations and occupations; and that the salaries provided for in this section shall be payable in quarterly instalmnets.

And be it further enacted, That the standard for both gold and silver coins of the United States shall hereafter be such, that of one thousand parts by weight, nine hundred shall be of pure metal, and one hundred of alloy; and the alloy of the silver coins shall be of copper; and the alloy of the gold coins shall be of copper and silver, provided that the silver do not exceed one-half of the whole alloy.