Judge, 1883-03-10 · page 7 of 16
Judge — March 10, 1883 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about U.S. currency: **"The New 'V' Nickel"** and **"The Three-Cent Piece"** are humorous stories exploiting confusion over American coins. The satire targets the introduction of new currency denominations and public unfamiliarity with them. In "The Three-Cent Piece," a man tells of losing money—and a romantic opportunity with a Philadelphia widow—because he mistakenly paid her streetcar fare with a three-cent piece instead of a dime. The driver and other passengers mock him for the error. The joke satirizes both the impracticality of obscure coin denominations and the social embarrassment of financial mistakes. The humor relies on the absurdity of multiple similar-valued coins existing simultaneously, creating real opportunities for error and humiliation among ordinary people conducting daily transactions. This reflects genuine frustrations with 19th-century American currency complexity before standardization.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE NEW © V" NICKEL Now thy Dou freshly-coined brisy the counter And he plateth some wit Abt "tis then the Finds his how w Till their color proves And he s Then ve ethwith be nickel, iter tic st rat follars all the day lichle takes them for girs na pickle this shoving queee” he And T mes a ran nit np that crooked stranger, And “knock bi POWARD KEARNEY The Three-Cent Piec BY Ee TES EVER Te entered a dispensary of fluid r harriedlly called for a little Mou freshiments, and a nervin He was not a mar, for for he fone would take u well-Lo-d 1 of seemed tem: his collar was half a hangs brat his neck-tic ath his left od upon his shirt feon T chance that it w dressed me “You to be standing near to him, and 1 suppose woks that Taide a newspaper m Towned that You're Somewhat surprised, 1 pleade tion, and Tash + Rasy en nllty to the acensa wl him how he knew it im said he, “light coat vel, 8, , three-year-old kid gloves with on the side of your Oh, Lean spot you amon pape “Tue Well, we try to make it wo. All right; Tv » you Jepor repre Hot a xood artic very € I's about a mui Tetarted Itdid not seem to met 0 at there could be much and E told hi who f killed,” tobe allowed to elute iny Wrath has been the mar hilarity in a murder, But you don't: know Tell will b The nickel three-ceat piece T embraced hin. Tasked for for 8 name, so th th tL eoul 2 facts be nt 4 " rt a popular subseriptic im. 1 known, and would be the Prank Jan Tell me White ec with ch hero-worshipy H about it,” requested I aping Uh thpiek, b stalns from th nform me plaze au ied of the clream. 1 was riding across in a curtail nit sat down next me about as fall And he had w ¢ Lear.” said he Me fintellect as an Ianything f He pulled out a tot when a party came in was a party with a face <t do hate, it is a man with a of arnall ebai To my surpri cont pieces. “Beg p cents in othe “Would It + Decidedly to the My dear sir,’ uttered 1° 1 woul cent piece if y ur wife a role, T noticed that it consisted of th don,” said he coin for ten at will yon thirty pntrary "t take 1 would pay me a dollar for it three. Thad a mcent piv and it lost mea handsome nd a fortune + Tell me how? +1 was keeping company with a Philadelphia widow, and yon know how particular Philade!ptiia widows are. Well, we started for the th we took a car like sovmned uneasy, cent piece to the U THE JUDGE. this pw L will swear that I had 6 weket, Lup t twelve dimes ins Whe I thee 1 slipped i nt te nto tell her hey hal just piece we pay the fare a dime » Philadelphia Sudhenly the ¢ 1 vat in tat t Whe eecent pic anny shivers crawl down my back. | lly 1 examines Stealt! The there Thad pat it in the box by mis he change in my pocket | take | With a red face, I got up and slipped in a ten-cent | cen, There w entlenan of Milesian extraction sitting im the corner, winked at me f ract over ye, him." F the nixt ear,” « ned ye have worruked it off 0 T made no reply when the driver intruded his head iu the Hey, mister! Well? “Ye Yes. De taid Dat m yer outer and [was just returning to my | vei F again satel hw Trephed pat athree-cent piece lu fast 7 hes thirteen cents, I don't wanter cheat th anudder cents. Here's vent TH git mine onter der box when I gets to der Of course I hail to tal led and the Phils T seemed to ful swindler, “We were had a fe it, while th look ded if 1 widow askance at_our destination, howe isle ver, for we only and Twas only too glad to Of the: vebiele As lack would ba ers upon the comer bof vic here: was a boy selling Rowe , my fai Nin’ Natury yourself. Mow mach? lly, 1 eaid they were. You've been th asked | eply, for he was of Castilian I po The violets were mex, the required +4 centa,” handed over ar. Just elutehing 8 1 was about « the theater, 1 fe at my coat-tails Tturne “T Pasiro 4 me thre said he, ‘you maka a mistake enough there was a three-cen| T niuttered an apology and fished of the whieh tl 1 » iecily frigid; my stock tly fallen bele | could tel re jelyshia widow tably warm, now be Well patina to make @ sketch out of a serial that Uhrees-cent piece $ dials By mistake I zaveit to the ticket-s ler at the theat he shoved it back with a sneer, and the remark Seven cents \ Tn the theater we went to supper. e ita rule to neve Fee over ten cents toa That amount juet about keeps them at their social level So I slipped what I into the waiter's hand, posed Was the hundred wills “He sized it up. * Then with a sapere Monsieur probs it will “Tt was th “Here,” continued my. eésasris who had requested me to tak: us air he gave it back by needs it w fe three-cent piece azain, ry hin across the ferry.” the yenth ia three-cent | excuse me,” hi eked ed the idea of issuing ited States Gi sped 1 re tut it was nickel three- vernment.” Tr was y Jar The for of the Philadel) + that night when poken te thbed bim by thes “He cried 1 Yeo. With profound respect « Thanks Why Aw hod me Wait!” sald 1 He did eo, Mr. nickel tl New York Dail eercent piece, ms, pra | im mr \ tk J indorsing his deed will be: im of the Uni vis pr ood city, town and vil Simile Let A coNTENPS Wilde he wats Hans several hntudree dollars, ete and * the Thi } turns | fish,” * and nuh! gave Moatin nipy A Naw Yous plu ably he dida’t employ any one Tue Timit deen raised by the Lewishatury Wha f interest on tn cent unseen re A Manon ha lives next doo nye whom the dertaker ea Oye of the feui has found it ul pose they did it by manufactur \ PRRs uecess s saya he kno as a humorous writer, laughs at whatever he contrib Tue, American ean-can—the t Iy David Davis: marries that she'll ¢ > realizin; tract A woman 14s $11,000 worth of lace laid ht to have been arrested people shoald know better th “TH te married people,” r Jones, * the A married mal path for him,” walk were evidently rked Br dior * of Broadway 1 i the Yad killin \ his conduct ed tobi the instigator a by said jury tely held in every Loose. 1 in the sea of Broa a rinse his while walkin: Joe,” and | here he up by a no tis was relieved t that b walk" <a atran wewhiat of the: rat nthe sir,” ane whieh ell ina rom seven to ten per We Its capacity. 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