On the trail of the Bechtler Family (and a coin to share)

Avocet

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On the trail of the Bechtler Family in Rutherfordton, N.C.

I am a big fan of North Carolina history, partly because I am a 7th generation native of the area. My Great Great Grandfather and his father owned land in Caswell County, NC, in the early 1800s, and they also mined gold throughout the Broad River during the North Carolina gold rush. They would take the gold to the Bechtlers, who would then make coins for them. The Bechtler coins were a preferred method of commerce even through the civil war, primarily because of the reputation and trust that the Bechtlers earned.

During the peak years of gold production in North Carolina, between the late 1820s and 1830s, the state's mining industry employed over 30,000 people. It ranked second only to agriculture in its importance to the economy.

In those days, the U.S. Constitution prohibited states from minting coins, but it didn't prohibit private individuals from doing so. In 1830, a German metal smith, Christopher Bechtler, Sr., recognized an opportunity and settled in Rutherford County with his family and opened a private mint and jewelry shop. For a fee, a miner could have raw gold made into coins.

Gold miners consequently had a safer way to create currency from their gold; previously, folks had to take gold to Philadelphia, which was a risky proposition. Christopher and his son Augustus minted coins from 1832 to around 1840, producing about $2.25 Million in currency.

Both Christopher and Augustus died young, and many speculate that they died of exposure to toxins encountered during their work, such as mercury.

The photo of the press is ©Rutherford Tourism Authority. The die seen in this image is a close match for my $5 coin.
I would love to see some images of your Bechtler gold or to learn more history if you can share.
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--> The image above is the original mint site and a mine site. The Bechtlers did not do so well with their mining effort.
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--> The original Bechtler press. The $5 die seen here is at least similar to my coin-- a cool coincidence!
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Mr_Spud

Here’s my one and only example of a Bechtler gold coin

And here is a medal from back when I was in the Charlotte Coin Club that featured Bechtler and came with an information write up about the Bechtler

Pnies20

Great post. I don’t own any But it’s very interesting.

Avocet

@Mr_Spud said:
Here’s my one and only example of a Bechtler gold coin

And here is a medal from back when I was in the Charlotte Coin Club that featured Bechtler and came with an information write up about the Bechtler

Thanks for sharing-- I love the additional history and background. Kagin's new book also provides a nice review, and I am surprised at the number of varieties produced by the Bechtler family considering the relatively short life span of their mint.

asheland

Cool thread, funny that you start it today… exactly 4 years ago today I got my one and only example:

CharlotteDude

Very interesting story and great pics on the Bechtlers. I used to own one piece, but sold it @ 10 years ago. I’m also a native (loud & proud) North Carolinian with roots going back to the mid-1700’s when my family first settled, with many still remaining along the southeast coast. Charlotte mint gold has always intrigued me and I’ve been known to have an example or two kicking around.

Project Numismatics

I can't shed any more light on Bechtler history, but share your enthusiasm for North Carolina history. I grew up in Cabarrus County, home to Reed Gold Mine, the site where gold was first discovered in the United States in 1799. While I have visited Reed Gold Mine many times, I have never made it to Rutherfordton which is inexcusable!

PeakRarities

Very cool, picked up my first bechtler piece a couple weeks ago actually, and It’s a tough one to put down.

asheland

@DeplorableDan said:
Very cool, picked up my first bechtler piece a couple weeks ago actually, and It’s a tough one to put down.

Splendid!

PeakRarities

Oops, there’s a black line on mine from when I was edited the grade on the truview, that’s not on the coin lol.

asheland

Whoops.
I just now noticed that.

yosclimber

If you are interested in the Bechtler family history, check out this thread from 2 years ago:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/13134253/#Comment_13134253

Here is a short version of the timing of deaths:
Christopher Bechtler and his two sons who assisted with his mint died in rapid succession in North Carolina:

• Carl Christoph Bechtler (younger son), died in October 1840 by suicide. He had married in 1839 and had a young daughter in the 1840 census
• Christopher Bechtler (father / minter) died in December 1842
• Sebastian Augustus Bechtler (older son) died in November 1843

All 3 persons came to America on the same ship in 1829.

Avocet

@DeplorableDan said:

Very cool, picked up my first bechtler piece a couple weeks ago actually, and It’s a tough one to put down.

That is an awesome coin!

savoyspecial

Close to a year ago, a friend and I visited both the house and the mine site. He has posted to this thread and If he's reading this it might be cool to go again. As for pics to contribute, I did get to handle this beauty a couple of years ago:

Cameonut

Thanks for posting the info on the sites. I live about three hours east and plan to visit sometime this winter when I have nothing else to do and its too cold to play golf.

I looked and looked for a nice Bechtler for a type piece - took me over a decade until I found this one at an NC show. Still looking for other examples but unmessed with examples are scarce. Anyway, here is mine.

JimTyler

If you haven’t seen this it’s good. https://www.pbs.org/video/gold-fever-and-bechtler-mint-gold-fever-and-bechtler-mint/

jmlanzaf

@Cameonut said:
Thanks for posting the info on the sites. I live about three hours east and plan to visit sometime this winter when I have nothing else to do and its too cold to play golf.

I looked and looked for a nice Bechtler for a type piece - took me over a decade until I found this one at an NC show. Still looking for other examples but unmessed with examples are scarce. Anyway, here is mine.

Nice! I did a double take on the "N" before I read the slab!

Fraz

They left the NC gold in the ground after the strike in Cal. My friend and I pan flakes from a small branch that runs through his farm. The gravel contains quartz, pyrite, topaz, feldspar, and magnetite. On the mountain across the street are three dozen or so pits with large piles of pure whiter than I’ve seen quartz boulders that were being crushed. That land is a National Guard training site and we dare go in rarely. (We let a dog run, carry a lead, and walk around hollering “Smiley”.) Erosion reveals a huge white quartz cliff face that was not touched by the early miners. We suspect that they pulled gemstones as well because of large piles of that gravel which we suspect are tailings, they could be gold search tailings too. Interest in mining increases here, two guys found a dredge in Nash County (the edge of the coastal plain, far from the hills) and have it working now.
A Bechtler coin is in my future.

Avocet

@savoyspecial said:
Close to a year ago, a friend and I visited both the house and the mine site. He has posted to this thread and If he's reading this it might be cool to go again. As for pics to contribute, I did get to handle this beauty a couple of years ago:

This is a great addition to the post -- Bechtler was a talented gunsmith and metal worker, and his talents served him well in minting gold coins as I understand it. What a great opportunity to see one of his firearms in person!

Avocet

@Fraz said:
They left the NC gold in the ground after the strike in Cal. My friend and I pan flakes from a small branch that runs through his farm. The gravel contains quartz, pyrite, topaz, feldspar, and magnetite. On the mountain across the street are three dozen or so pits with large piles of pure whiter than I’ve seen quartz boulders that were being crushed. That land is a National Guard training site and we dare go in rarely. (We let a dog run, carry a lead, and walk around hollering “Smiley”.) Erosion reveals a huge white quartz cliff face that was not touched by the early miners. We suspect that they pulled gemstones as well because of large piles of that gravel which we suspect are tailings, they could be gold search tailings too. Interest in mining increases here, two guys found a dredge in Nash County (the edge of the coastal plain, far from the hills) and have it working now.
A Bechtler coin is in my future.

I have also found gold in nearby streams using a sluice method. It is interesting to still find gold in that area after so many years....

asheland

@savoyspecial said:
Close to a year ago, a friend and I visited both the house and the mine site. He has posted to this thread and If he's reading this it might be cool to go again. As for pics to contribute, I did get to handle this beauty a couple of years ago:

Yes. 👍