Abbott's Guide to Ottawa and Vicinity/Mint

by George F. Abbott

 

MINT.

The Canadian branch of the Royal Mint, situated on Sussex street, next to the Dominion Archives, is built of massive stone and is entrenched within a high fence of stone and iron. The building was officially opened by the Governor General, Earl Grey, on January 2nd, 1908, when the coinage of Canadian money began in Canada. Deputy Master, Dr. James Bonar. The Mint is divided into seven principal departments:—

1. The Mint Office, into which all bullion is received for coinage purposes, and from which the finished coins are issued to the distributing centres.
2. The melting house, in which the bullion is mixed, melted and made into coinage bars;
3. The coining department, where the finished coins are made from the coinage bars, and tested ready for issue;
4. The assay department, where the fineness and standard of the ingots, coinage bars and coins are ascertained;
5. The die department, where the coinage dies are made;
6. The mechanical department, where the power is generated, renewals are made, and repairs to the coinage machinery effected;
7. The refinery, where the gold ingots, received from depositors in accordanc with the Mint regulations, are refined by the electrolytic process. Operations began in January, 1911.

All the machinery throughout the Mint is electrically driven. The fuel used in the great furnaces is oil.

The metals used for the present coinage are gold, silver, copper, tin and zinc. The Imperial gold coins are composed of eleven-twelfths of pure gold and one-twelfth of copper, known in the trade as 22 karats. The Canadian gold coins will be composed of nine-tenths pure gold and one-tenth of copper. The Canadian silver coins are composed of thirty-seven-fortieths of pure silver and three-fortieths of copper, a composition known in the trade as "sterling" silver. The bronze cents are composed of 95% copper, 4% tin and 1% zinc.

Visitors are admitted to view the various processes between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the first 5 week days, and from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturdays. Admission may be obtained on application by letter addressed to the Deputy Master of the Mint. The ticket of admission states at what hour the visitor will be admitted, and he must be present punctually at the hour named. On Saturday there is less of the active work to be seen. The Mint is closed during all statutory holidays.