U. S. Mint and Assay Office, Charlotte, North Carolina The Charlotte Mint was the first United States branch mint. It was located in Charlotte, North Carolina and specialized in aureate neologism .
history [edit ]
Following the first document discovery of gold in the United States, the area ‘s first 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 amber scatter to Philadelphia to be melted and coined. The transportation process was unmanageable, slow, expensive, and dangerous ; frustration with this system led to the universe of private gold coining operations in the Charlotte area. however, making aureate into local money had its own implicit 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 area to reduce the risk of transporting gold. They received no response until three years subsequently when the United States Treasury began to investigate private coin operations and recognized North Carolina ‘s necessitate for more federal coinage. [ 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 town of Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, in the country of North Carolina, for the neologism of gold lone … And for the determination of purchasing sites, erecting desirable buildings, and completing the necessary combinations of machinery … for the ramify at Charlotte, fifty dollar bill 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
output [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 full square containing 4 acres of bring for $ 1,500.00, which is now the 400 block of West Trade Street. Proposals for erecting of the build were advertised and the contract 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 clientele on July 27, 1837. only raw gold was processed and refined until March 28, 1838, when the beginning $ 5 gold half eagle was struck in Charlotte. Later that year, $ 2½ quarter eagles were minted, and 1849 product started on a small gold dollar. All amber neologism coming from this batch has a “ C ” mint mark to distinguish it from other baby mints then in operation. The Charlotte Mint issued over $ 5 million in aureate coins over the path 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 about 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 acquit it was a bootless attempt. The batch was then converted into a hospital and military function 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 aureate dust. [ 1 ] In 1873, the General Assembly of North Carolina petitioned Congress to reopen the mint at Charlotte. This request was denied. The Assay office operated until 1913. From 1917 to 1919, the Charlotte Women ‘s Club met in the construction. It besides served as a Red Cross station 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 board for the post agency expansion next door. A coalescence of private citizens acquired the structure from the U.S. Treasury Department in 1933. They relocated the structure a few miles east of downtown Charlotte, to the historic neighborhood of Eastover on a plot of nation donated by E.C. Griffith. In 1936, it was dedicated as the Mint Museum of Art, the beginning art museum in North Carolina. [ 4 ] On display are thousands of items, along with a complete collection of all amber coins minted at the Charlotte Mint. [ citation needed ] The museum besides includes a citation library with over 15,000 volumes and a theater featuring lectures and performances. [ 4 ] Charlotte Mint gold coins range from barely to highly rare. They are some of the most craved items in numismatics nowadays .
further read [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.
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