New Orleans did not close up in 1909
dcarr
Posts: 8,532 ✭✭✭✭✭
The US Mint in New Orleans stopped minting operations in 1909.
But it still operated as an assay office from 1909-1942.
Not much survives from that time.
But here is a 1921 shipping tag from the Saint Louis Missouri (Little Rock Arkansas branch) Federal Reserve Bank to the "Assayer in Charge U.S.Mint New Orleans, La.".
This tag would have been attached to a canvas bag likely containing precious metal in some form. The postage stamps are from a series issued in 1917:
(2x) 4-cent brown Washington (Scott # 503);
(1x) 50-cent red-violet Franklin (Scott # 517);
(2x) $1 violet-brown Franklin (Scott # 518).
The 517 and 518 are unusual "on cover" or on a shipping document.
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Comments
Way cool 😎
Great stuff @dcarr and stamps too (those that order from you will get that reference
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Successful BST with BustDMs , Pnies20, lkeigwin, pursuitofliberty, Bullsitter, felinfoel, SPalladino (CBH's - 37 Die Marriage's)
$5 Type Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/type-sets/half-eagle-type-set-circulation-strikes-1795-1929/album/344192
CBH Set https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/everyman-collections/everyman-half-dollars/everyman-capped-bust-half-dollars-1807-1839/album/345572
The Charlotte Mint continued to operate as an assay office too after it closed in 1861. It closed as an assay office circa 1912. The building was then used as a post office facility. A Charlotte postmark could be a similar sort of collectible although it wouldn’t be coin related.
Perhaps "uncurrent" gold and silver coins being retired?
Cool item!
Since a bank was making the shipment, it seems likely that the bag contained "uncurrent" coins and/or damaged and mutilated current coins.
$2.58 in postage was a lot back then.
I'd imagine if you could look up the insurance rates you might come up with a rough figure of how much value wise was shipped to the assay office in NO.
An approximation perhaps, but how much of that charge was for weight?
Very cool!
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Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
Imagine trusting the USPS with shipping a big bag of gold and silver today.
http://macrocoins.com
Similarly, the Carson City Mint ceased production of coinage after 1893, but operated as a US Assay Office From 1895 to 1933.
- Ike Group member
- DIVa (Designated Ike Varieties) Project co-lead and attributor
In my (as yet unpublished) book on the cents of 1922 I talk about how the Independent Treasury system, sometimes called the Sub-Treasuries, were made redundant by the Federal Reserve banks. The Sub-Treasuries were closed in 1920 and 1921, and any coin holdings that they had were shipped to Federal Reserve Banks or U.S. Mints for storage and distribution.
I would not be surprised if these old coin hoards contained quantities of "uncurrent" coins too worn out and/or damaged to reissue to the banking system. Anything sent to a Mint could just get recycled in a normal coin melt, but it is likely that once the FRB's finished sorting and bagging the old coins for re-issue the dregs got sent to some facility that could recover any precious metals. The date on this tag would certainly make that a possibility.
TD
Here is another I've had for a while. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, sent to the Philadelphia Mint in 1932.
This one has a rare $5 black/green Franklin (Scott # 524). All the other stamps are pre-cancelled "ATLANTA / GA."
The $5 stamp is pretty well obliterated with hole-punch and black ink cancellations.
I do not know if the "250.00" written on it in pencil was the value of the shipment in 1932, or a later value assigned to the tag by a collector or dealer.
And this is my best one, with coins going the other way. Presumably, freshly-minted 1924-D coins going to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. This one has a rare lake/black $2 Franklin (Scott # 547a) plus a $1 violet-brown $1 Franklin (Scott # 518) and a 50-cent red-violet Franklin (Scott # 517). All are rare on a complete cover or shipping document.