Branch mint gold

logger7

I was curious about the New Orleans minted gold coins and found that their source of gold was both from the CA gold rush and South America: "Operations at the New Orleans Mint began on March 8, 1838, with the deposit of the first Mexican gold bullion." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Mint So the minted coins there were from all sources.

The Charlotte gold coins were apparently all minted from locally mined gold: "... the coins produced by the Charlotte Mint were from locally mined gold, as the mint was established specifically to process the gold from the North Carolina gold rush. The Charlotte Mint operated from 1838 to 1861 and was authorized to create gold coins from the region's abundant local ore.
Purpose: The mint was created because miners had no convenient, safe, or economical way to turn their gold into official currency. Sending it to the Philadelphia mint was time-consuming and risky.
Gold source: The mint's sole purpose was to coin gold from the surrounding area. This made it a convenient processing center for local miners and helped avoid the costs and risks associated with shipping gold to Philadelphia."

The Dahlonega mint got gold both locally and from CA when the gold rush happened:

"...not all coins minted at the Dahlonega Mint were local; while it was established to mint local gold, deposits from the California Gold Rush also accounted for a significant portion of the gold it processed, especially after 1853. The mint was created to process local gold, but the California Gold Rush eventually led to the mint receiving more bullion from there than from Georgia itself, notes Gold Rush Gallery.
Here are the key points:
Purpose: The Dahlonega Mint was opened in 1838 to coin the gold discovered in the North Georgia gold fields. It was much easier for local miners to have their gold minted in Dahlonega instead of traveling to the Philadelphia Mint.
Gold sources: While local gold was the initial source, gold from California became a major part of the supply. After 1853, approximately 79.4% of the bullion deposits at Dahlonega came from California.
Impact of California gold: The influx of gold from California eventually overshadowed the local supply, and the Dahlonega Mint's usefulness was called into question."

I was thinking about how some of the New Orleans $20 gold have a different look than the contemporary type I issues from the Philadelphia and California mints. Is there a reason for that? Also the tougher branch mint Dahlonega and Charlotte gold coins have unique appearances. Does anyone care to explain why?

FlyingAl

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1115118/the-coloration-of-charlotte-and-dahlonega-gold#latest

This might help.

Staircoins

@logger7 said:
I was curious about the New Orleans minted gold coins and found that their source of gold was both from the CA gold rush and South America: "Operations at the New Orleans Mint began on March 8, 1838, with the deposit of the first Mexican gold bullion." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Mint So the minted coins there were from all sources.

Mexico is part of North America.

calgolddiver

Great topic. The thread needs some examples!!

Ebeneezer

Since the dies were all produced at the Philadelphia Mint any appearance variances would be attributed to the presses. New Orleans in particular being known for weaker than normal strikes. The refining might factor in to some extent, however I don't believe the source would from a human perspective (what you'd see). On a molecular, most certainly. Besides, after well over two hundred years it would be near impossible to tell looking at comparable specimens.

I actually enjoyed this post. Thanks!