U. S. Mint and Assay Office, Charlotte, North Carolina The Charlotte Mint was the first United States outgrowth mint. It was located in Charlotte, North Carolina and specialized in gold neologism .
history [edit ]
Following the first documented discovery of aureate in the United States, the country ‘s beginning gold mine was established in North Carolina at the Reed Gold Mine. As no mints existed in the Charlotte area, miners had to send their gold scatter to Philadelphia to be melted and coined. The transportation system process was unmanageable, dull, expensive, and dangerous ; frustration with this organization led to the creation of private aureate coining operations in the Charlotte area. however, making aureate into local money had its own built-in problems, such as accurate weigh and determining fineness. In the bounce of 1831, North Carolina merchants and miners petitioned Congress for a branch mint in the Charlotte region to reduce the gamble of transporting gold. They received no response until three years late when the United States Treasury began to investigate private coin operations and recognized North Carolina ‘s need for more federal neologism. [ 1 ] On March 3, 1835, the United States Congress approved an Act 115 to 60 to establish several branch mints ; [ 1 ] the act stated, “ … one branch [ to be established ] at the township of Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, in the state of North Carolina, for the coinage of amber only … And for the aim of purchasing sites, erecting suitable buildings, and completing the necessary combinations of machinery … for the branch at Charlotte, fifty thousand dollars ”. [ 2 ] This Act besides authorized mints at Dahlonega, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, after President Andrew Jackson signed it into law.
Reading: Charlotte Mint – Wikipedia
production [edit ]
1839-C $ 5 Gold Coin
1839-C $ 5 Gold Coin, Reverse In November, 1835, Levi Woodbury, Secretary of the Treasury, was notified by Samuel MeComb that he had purchased from William Carson and F. L. Smith a wax straight containing 4 acres of state for $ 1,500.00, which is immediately the 400 block of West Trade Street. Proposals for erecting of the build were advertised and the narrow was awarded to Perry & Ligon, of Raleigh, NC on October 15, 1835 at a price of $ 29,800.00. In 1836, construction on the Charlotte Mint began. It opened for business on July 27, 1837. only bare-assed aureate was processed and refined until March 28, 1838, when the first $ 5 amber half eagle was struck in Charlotte. Later that class, $ 2½ quarter eagles were minted, and 1849 production started on a belittled gold dollar. All gold neologism coming from this mint has a “ C ” mint mark to distinguish it from other sister mints then in operation. The Charlotte Mint issued over $ 5 million in gold coins over the course of nine years – 1849-55, 1857, and 1859. Coins produced in 1850, ’52, ’55, and ’59 are considered rare or very rare, and 1854 coins are closely unachievable as only four pieces were coined. [ 3 ]
War [edit ]
In May 1861, North Carolina seceded from the Union. The Confederacy seized the Charlotte Mint along with those at New Orleans and Dahlonega. [ 1 ] The Confederate government continued coining operations until October when it became clear it was a bootless attempt. The mint was then converted into a hospital and military office outer space for the remainder of the Civil War .
After the war [edit ]
federal troops used the offices for the first few years of Reconstruction. In 1867, the U.S. government downgraded it to an assay office due to a deficit of gold debris. [ 1 ] In 1873, the General Assembly of North Carolina petitioned Congress to reopen the batch at Charlotte. This request was denied. The Assay agency operated until 1913. From 1917 to 1919, the Charlotte Women ‘s Club met in the build up. It besides served as a Red Cross place during World War I.
museum [edit ]
Cover of The Mint Museum of Art at Charlotte, A Brief History In 1931, the build was to be demolished to make room for the post office expansion next doorway. A coalition of private citizens acquired the structure from the U.S. Treasury Department in 1933. They relocated the structure a few miles east of business district Charlotte, to the historic vicinity of Eastover on a plot of land donated by E.C. Griffith. In 1936, it was dedicated as the Mint Museum of Art, the first art museum in North Carolina. [ 4 ] On display are thousands of items, along with a complete collection of all gold coins minted at the Charlotte Mint. [ citation needed ] The museum besides includes a character library with over 15,000 volumes and a field featuring lectures and performances. [ 4 ] Charlotte Mint gold coins range from barely to extremely rare. They are some of the most coveted items in numismatics today .
far interpretation [edit ]
- D. Winter, Charlotte Mint Gold Coins, Bowers and Merena Galleries, 1987. An illustrated catalog of all gold coins produced at the Charlotte Mint.
- R. W. Burdette, From Mine to Mint: American Coinage Operations and Technology, 1833 to 1937, Seneca Mills Press, March 20, 2013. Text detailing the technology, equipment, and operations of the United States Mints from 1833 to 1937.
