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GoldenEyeNumismatics

The Carson City Mint

Coins of the Carson City Mint are often highly regarded for their lore and history. We all like to imagine the “CC” Mint as an important necessity to the Comstock region of the American West, however, there is a much different saga to tell about the Carson Mint than this fairy tale persona would suggest. It complied with all legislative acts and reflected the pulse of local mining, while at the same time being controlled and humbled by many who disapproved of its existence. Ultimately, it was a puppet of American politics and government.
The beginnings of Carson City can be traced back to January 1843, when John C Fremont and his party ventured through the region while mapping the west for the US Topographical Engineers. One of the rivers Fremont passed through during his journey he named the Carson River, after Kit Carson, a fellow party member and guide. Eight years later, in 1851, the first settlers moved in. Frontiersmen, wishing to make money off the miners heading through the area to California, set up a trading post in. At first, they were immensely profitable, but as the gold rush subsided, most people left the region. Those who remained were the Mormons, who stayed in the area and maintained the land until Mormon leader Brigham Young encountered trouble with the law on counts of polygamy. The Mormons in the Carson City region were called to Salt Lake City, and they sold their land to John Mankin, a speculative mountaineer. In 1858, a man essential to the history of Carson City, Abraham Curry, purchased the land from Mankin for a mere $500 and a group of horses. Curry was not in this business venture alone, however, fellow party members Frank Proctor, John Musser, and William Ormsby chipped in to buy the land. Curry had been scouring parts of Nevada (at that time considered only as a region of the Utah Territory) in search of a good area to establish a general store. He found a few locations he felt appropriate, the most so was a location in Genoa, Nevada, however he could not successfully negotiate a deal with the local settlers to acquire the land. When Curry came across the region owned by Mankin, he felt it was suitable for his purpose. The land had no formal name or town, and was only known as a region of Eagle Valley. Curry was exceptionally proud of his purchase. He felt it fitting to establish a town on the land, and he named it Carson City, after the Carson River.
Within a year Curry had laid out roads, several stores, recreational facilities such as a dance hall, and a town square in his new city. He was convinced his city would one day become great, claiming that his newly laid town center would one day be the site of a capital building. Curry had big plans for his new city.
All Carson City really needed was a big event in the area to gain it recognition. Certainly, the discovery of large silver deposits in Gild Canyon, soon to be part of the area named the “Comstock Lode,” was significant enough to spark some interest in the area. The silver strikes even sparked Curry’s interest, and he staked a claim about 14 miles outside Carson City, just about at the epicenter of where all the hype was. Curry joined his claim with Carson City’s butcher, Alva Gould and the famous Gould are Curry Mine was brought into existence. However, he sold the claim six months later for a meager $2,000. Within a few years, it was one of the most productive mines in the Comstock. Several months after he sold the mine, it struck it rich. The mine ultimately produced over $16 million dollars (not taking into account inflation) of gold and silver. Needless to say… Curry missed out.
Nevertheless, the City of Carson marched onward. Development of the city continued, and population increased significantly. Much of the influx of miners and businesses that supported the miners that came to the Comstock made Carson City their home. It would not be optimistic to say that by October, 1864, when the state of Nevada was admitted to the Union, well over 1000 people resided in or immediately around Carson City. Carson City was chosen as the capital of the newborn state, possibly because it was so close to the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.
However, even before Nevada was a state, legislation had been passed to establish a mint in the region. On March 3, 1863, the bill authorizing the construction of a mint in Carson City was passed by both houses of Congress. Once again, the factor of the Virginia & Truckee railroad being nearby played a roll in Carson City getting a major position in the government and economy. The nearby railroad would allow for easy transportation of bullion and coins.
It is believed that the Carson Mint actually “stole” a mint away from Denver, or at least for the time being. Legislation had been passed in 1862 to establish a mint in Denver, Colorado, the sight a major gold rush. However, at the same time as when governmental figures taking over the building that was to be the mint in Denver (the building actually was the former banking edifice of Clark, Gruber & Company, the primary private gold coiners of the Colorado Gold Rush) and taken control of operations there, the legislation was passed to establish a mint in Carson City. In fact, the same day that legislation was passed to establish a mint in Nevada was the same that that the US government paid Clark, Gruber & Company $25,000 for their banking edifice and minting equipment. With the gold rush winding down in Colorado and the silver strikes just beginning in the Comstock, the government chose to ditch the mint in Denver for the next 40 or so years and focus their attention at the new mint in Carson.
With the nation wrapped up in the issues of the Civil War, there was a lengthy hiatus between when the legislation calling for a mint at Carson to be built was passed and when there were actually men with shovels and picks at the site of the to-be mint. A lot in Carson City was passed in February, 1865. Formal construction began on July 17, 1866 after documents authorizing the commencement of construction finally arrived. The cornerstone of the Carson City Mint was laid on September 24, 1866, containing items such as one of the local newspapers (the Daily Appeal) and contemporary coins. A great celebration occurred at the “Pavilion,” the dance hall of Carson City. I large celebration ensued that night. It was planned that the mint would be completed by January of 1869. In actuality, the final aspects of the building were not completed in time for any CC coins dated “1869” to be struck.
Throughout the construction, Curry (who was the contractor of the project) was the driving force that kept the mint project alive in Washington. Although he had much opposition from many politicians, he was able sustain enough popularity of the new mint to keep it funded. J. F. Morse, a US agent examining progress at the Carson Mint in 1869, referred to the mint as a “costly edifice” and he went on to add that there were many mixed opinions from government figures on if the new mint would be effective in alleviating coinage issues in the area and if it would be profitable for the US. The Unites States had pumped between $300,000 and $400,000 into the project, far exceeding the initial appropriation of $150,000. However, Curry could not be blamed for this, as politicians back east had not taken into account the inflated price of goods when the plans were being drawn up. Many people were not sure if the mint in Carson would ever be able to make enough money to cover the price of its construction.
Construction progress was spotted with many delays. The lack of bricks in Nevada resulted in the chimney not being completed in 1868 as planned, but instead in 1869. Although sufficient bricks were finally acquired by fall, 1868, it was too late in the season, and workers had to be wait through the cold winter to recommence construction in the Spring. When all was ready to begin minting coins in late 1869, production could not begin because the dies had not yet arrived! By late December, 1869, the dies were still in transit. Curry now complained that dies dated 1869 would be of no use, so he placed an order for new dies to be dated 1870. These did not arrive until January 10, 1870 via Wells Fargo Express. The mint itself actually opened January 8, 1870, and was accepting deposits, but now it was finally ready to begin minting coins. However, from the start the mint had left a sour taste in the mouth of politicians. The project wound up being completed a year behind schedule and way over budget. Nevertheless, carsonites were gleaming with pride over their big new building. Curry, now seen as a hero in the eyes of the citizens of Carson City for pushing for the completion of the mint, now had a far less glamorous reputation in Washington. Politicians were not impressed by the fact that the building was not finished on time, and many thought of the mint as a nuisance. The Carson City Mint had only one press, delivered November 23, 1868, and there were only shadows of hope for a second press in the future. Many people felt that a single press could not strike enough coins, while others were concerned about transportation of the coins. Carson City was land locked. In the event that the nearby railroad (the Virginia and Truckee) was shut down, there would be no way to transport coin and bullion except by carriage, something that put forth many troubles.
The mint was came close to being destroyed or incurring serious damage when on December 28, 1869, a tremendous earthquake rocked Carson City. Many building were destroyed, but the sturdy “CC” mint still stood proudly, completely undamaged.
The 1870 CC silver dollar holds a special romance to many knowledgeable collectors. Not only is the coin from the opening year of the mint, but it very well could be the first coin ever struck there. February 10, 1870 saw the first delivery of CC coins, 2303 Seated Liberty Dollars paid to a depositor by the name of Mr. A. Wright. Wright hadn’t the slightest idea that the group of coins he accepted would one day be some of the most treasured numismatic items money can buy.
Business marched onward. Abraham Curry, now viewed as a hero in Carson City for helping the push the construction of the mint through every stage, had proudly taken the position of superintendent of the building which could not have been built without him. Minting of $10 gold pieces ensued shortly after the silver dollars. CC Half Eagles were first struck on March 1, while the prestigious and elusive 1870 CC double eagle was first coined on March 10. Although no dimes were minted in 1870, half dollars began production on April 9 and quarter dollars on April 20. No quarter eagles, $3 gold coins, $1 gold coins, half dimes, 3 cent pieces, or anything copper were ever minted at Carson City. The mint simply opted against coining any gold coins besides the half eagle, eagle, and double eagle. Locals felt that any denomination below a dime was “too little money,” so the mint decided against coining those too. Could you imagine an Indian Head Cent bearing the CC mintmark?
The poor ambiance towards the Carson City Mint continued in Washington DC. Even though the mint had begun production, many politicians still felt it a nuisance. Congress was particularly disgruntled with the mint when, in late February, 1870, Nevada Congressman Thomas Fitch requested from Congress the sum of $91,800 “to carry the mint during the ensuing fiscal year….” The Carson City Mint was beginning to look like a financial vacuum: a lot going in, not much coming out.
Although the reputation of the mint was lousy, Carson City itself was beginning to flower in magnificent state capital. The cornerstone of the capital building was placed on June 9, 1870. In it among other things, was a grouping of fresh, uncirculated “CC” coins. They have since been recovered, and now serve as a priceless connection to history. Although they acquired a fair amount of toning while sitting dormant for decades, the fingerprints they acquired while being handled the day they were positioned in the cornerstone are still very prominent.
Soon, Carson City was beginning to feel the start of autumn. Temperatures began to slowly decline. By September, 1870, Abe Curry abruptly resigned from his position as superintendent. Curry claimed that the reason he resigned was that he wished to run for Lieutenant Governor of the state of Nevada, then possibly Governor. Curry’s actions were well justified by his personality however, as he was a man that lived for the excitement of today, never for the security of tomorrow. Curry was not awarded the Republican Party’s nomination, however, and now was stuck in a bitter position. He spent the remaining three years of his life unemployed, before he finally died from a stroke on October 19, 1873 at the age of 58.
Henry F. Rice filled the void when Curry had resigned in September, 1870. It is rumored that in October 1870, while inventorying the vault, Rice discovered a Winchester rifle box containing some 3,500 1870 CC double eagles. Along with this box was a note from Curry stating that the coins were not released due to their poor quality. Apparently the coins had numerous laminations and other defects. As the story goes, Rice decided to steal the coins, planning to sneak them out unnoticed within three false-bottomed wooden boxes. Rice developed an elaborate scheme in which he would create a fictitious order for silver coins, then cancel the fake order, and ultimately wind up with the boxes with the bottoms filled with double eagles. All went wrong though when the drivers of the stagecoach carrying the boxes got drunk and decided themselves to steal the boxes, not even knowing what was in them. They buried the boxes near the V & T Railroad, and when Rice didn’t receive his false-bottomed boxes filled with gold, he had the men arrested. After spending a year in jail, the drivers returned to the site where they had buried the boxes, but they could not find them! If this story is true, the boxes filled with double eagles are still out there. However, current populations of the 1870 CC double eagle suggest that this story has no truth. Also, how could it be that Curry would simply be able to set aside so much gold without anyone else noticing? Despite all the doubt surrounding this tale, many people still hunt the old V & T line hoping to hit a coin collectors dream, and come home with 3,600 sparkling, uncirculated 1870 CC double eagles.
As winter crept in on the bustling, promising Carson City, citizens could reflect on the achievements of the previous year. Carson City had a different aura than the nearby silver borne towns such as Virginia City. Carson City was, overall, more permanent. Besides the fact that it was the capital of the state, the buildings were better made and constructed of finer material, the spectrum of businesses was broader, and, reigning supreme over all these factors, Carson City now had its own functioning mint. Sure, Virginia City could boast of its overnight millionaires and rich veins of silver, but Virginia City was just a boomtown. Carson City had been there even before the days of the Comstock Lode, and had much more time to develop installments of luxury and convenience. As the year turned to 1871, Carson City could look forward to a bright future. Opposition towards the mint was still large in Washington DC, however it was beginning to become apparent that the mint was there to stay.
1871 bloomed with delightful news to employees of the Carson City Mint and indeed to all Carson City residents (as they closely followed the events and undergoings at their mint). The mint was to produce dimes this year! In February, 1871, 6,400 dimes (about 1/3 of the total mintage for the year) were struck. All other mintages of that year also are comparatively low. One of the reasons the Carson City Mint was established was to help relieve some of the coining burden from the San Francisco mint, however this task was not being completed. It was by no means the fault of people in Carson City… there would be nothing that would make them happier than to hear that their mint was making many more coins, it was simply that the mint was limited by the Directors of the Philadelphia Mint in how many coins it could produce, and before it could produce large numbers it had to receive authorization. Philadelphia simply never sent authorization for more coins to be produced in Carson City, so the mint was stuck with its skimpy mintage figures. Meanwhile, politicians looked at Carson City and scoffed at it for its low production. There was nothing Carson City could do.
However, overall opinions amongst politicians towards the Carson City Mint soon began to change. In late, 1872, when the report of the Director of the United States Mint was released, Carsonites could hold their heads high with pride. The report had lavishly complimented the mint, pointing out its “creditable working” and how it was “most successful in its operations during the past year.”
The Carson City Mint saw increased mintages in 1872 by almost double. This made sense, being that near-by Comstock Lode was beginning to make its final ascent towards the apex of it’s silver production. The Comstock Lode is known as being the richest silver deposit discovered to this day. Normally, silver miners would be dealing with veins of silver ore several feet wide. In the Comstock Lode, miners were dealing with veins of incredibly rich silver ore that was a couple hundred feet wide. Shafts would be sunk into the ground, and when they hit a vein of ore the miners could drift left or right and not even find the end of the silver vein. Like gold miners who had a claim on Bonanza in the Klondike Gold Rush, silver miners who had a decent looking stake in the Comstock were likely to do very well.
Even though the Comstock Lode was spitting out millions of ounces of precious metal, most of it was going to San Francisco. Although San Francisco was roughly 300 miles away, it was actually cheaper and quicker for many mine owners to ship their bullion there to be coined. In fact, so much of the Comstock silver was coined in San Francisco, that the Carson City mintage figures are usually under 1/20 of what the “S” Mint was churning out.
When historians and collectors are asked what they feel is the most pivotal year in Carson City history, usually the first date that pops into their head in 1873, and with good reason. February 12, 1873 saw the passage of the Coinage Act, later to earn the infamous moniker as the “Crime of ‘73.” Although it upgraded the Carson City Mint to “United States Mint” (formerly “Branch Mint”) status, the “Crime of ‘73” required that the weight of all coins be changed to a more metric basis. Dimes were to weigh 2.5 grams, quarters were to be 6.25 grams, halves were to be 12.5 grams. Last, but not least, is the curious and out of place Trade Dollar, weighing in at 27.22 grams (420 grains). Trade Dollars, although by the end of the decade were frowned upon, entered the numismatic scene with a positive outlook. They contained more silver than the silver dollar which they took the place of, and also the public enjoyed seeing a design change on their coinage. However, the Act demonetized the standard silver dollar, which outraged many.
In compliance with the legislation, thousands and thousands of underweight coins minted prior to February 12, 1873 were melted. The melting of vast numbers of pre-1873 coins led to many coins from the prior decade, from all mints, to be of extreme scarcity. In addition, silver coinage of denominations of 10 cents to 50 cents had arrows put by the date to signify the weight change. Most “no arrows” coinage from earlier in the year was melted. The Carson City Mint was particularly effected, since its vaults were chock full of silver coins from its previous three years in operation. They all were melted.
Employees were finally starting to adjust to the changes and get back in the swing of things when, in September, the Panic of 1873 occurred. The panic was fundamentally the result of poor money management on the part of Jay Cooke & Company, the foremost brokerage establishment in the nation. The mint itself was not horribly affected, although 1874 saw rather decreased mintages from that of the year preceding it. Total production of silver coins in 1874 was only a small fraction of that of 1873. However, the shockwaves of the Panic of ’73 resulted in a dramatic increase in mining operations in the Comstock, which provided much more of the white metal for coining.
In the following years the Comstock Lode pumped out so much silver that there were debates as to whether or not silver should still be considered a precious metal. Tens of millions of dollars were flowing out of the region annually. As the increase in silver production continued, the populations of towns near the Comstock did as well. Virginia City, located in heart of the Comstock, was bursting at the seams with a population approaching 30,000. Anyone who has actually seen the humble town of Virginia City nowadays will be able to understand how baffling it is that almost 30,000 people fit into that tiny region. Although the huge populations, there were primarily three types of people in the mining towns during the peak days of the “Bonanza:” Miners, those who provided a good or service towards the miners (saloon keepers, general store workers, prostitutes), and construction workers. However, in the broad scheme of things, they were all working for the United States Mints. Those three general groups of people made it possible for the silver to be extracted from the ground and turned into sparkling, shimmering disks that we like to call coins.
1874 proved to be a rather uplifting year for the Mint at Carson. Although the effects from the national financial meltdown that occurred the previous year were still very harsh (resulting in less funds for the Mint), the mint was churning out quantities of coins that it could have only dreamed about in 1870 or ’71. 1,373,200 Trade Dollars, the first seven digit mintage from the “CC” Mint, proved to the country that the modest edifice on Carson Street was indeed capable of competing with the big guns. However, the half dollar, quarter (in which none were even produced), and dime mintages suffered to this newfound and temporary devotion towards the Trade Dollar. The cumulative mintage total of these three denominations was only about one sixth of what it had been the year preceding. Altogether, though, the total face value of coinage in 1874 was much greater than that of 1873. Silver was inexpensive, and in order for the local mines of the Comstock to keep profits up they had to increase production. There was a large influx in silver that had to be coined, resulting in the overall increased face value of production. The mine proprietors simply preferred to have their silver turned into Trade Dollars rather than other denominations, since it would be easier for trade/exportation rather than fractional denominations. San Francisco saw a similar effect.
However, Carson City could not fully enjoy the glory of its high mintage of the newfangled Trade Dollar. The Carson City Mint was constantly the subject of ridicule from many of the local mine owners, mainly the ones who preferred the San Francisco Mint over the neighborhood one. Often times rumors would circulate about problems at the “CC” Mint, or claims would be made about the poor quality of their coins. 99% of the time this gossip about the mint would be fictitious. It was nothing more than people bashing the mint simply because they felt the San Francisco Mint was superior.
The “CC” Mint was also frequently put in danger of being shut down. There were many mining districts throughout the nation, and they all wanted their own mint. Operating a mint in Nevada, which at that point in time was practically the middle of nowhere, was very expensive, and it seemed much more lucrative to establish a new mint in a region that would be much less expensive to operate from and to simply close the existing one in Nevada. Luckily, this never happened, however, in 1876, there was actually a 15% pay cut amongst many of the workers at the mint in an attempt to cut down the cost of running the mint.
1875 saw the introduction of the 20 cent piece. This esoteric denomination was pushed through Congress by Nevada Senator John Percival Jones. Jones, a former silver miner, thought, among other reasons, that the coin would create an even larger demand for silver, and therefore help the silver industry. It was quickly rejected by the public though. It met the same fate as the Susan B Anthony Dollar of the later 20th century, which looked too much like a quarter. Although efforts were made to have the coin distinguishable from a quarter, such as making the coin with a smooth edge, not a reeded edge, people were still getting confused, and the denomination saw only two years of production at Carson City. It failed to increase demand of silver simply because it was so unpopular.
When historians are asked what were the busiest years at the mint, the most common answer is 1875, ’76 and ’77. These three years boasted a total output of 37,370,285 coins. As the middle years of the 1870s approached, employees were well aware of the vast quantities of silver that would soon have to be coined. Reports of new silver mines opening in the Comstock were by no means kept secret, and with every new mine that opened there would be more silver to coin. In order to manage the dramatic increase of silver, the mint ordered a new press, which arrived in 1875.
An increased quantity of silver was not the only reason for the rise in production for 1875-77. The Specie Payment Act went into effect in January 1875. The Act required an increase in dimes, quarters and halves, which would be used for redemption of fractional currency. The mint responded to this act in style, and over the next three years the mint struck well over twenty million dimes, nine million quarters, and four million halves. This, of course, doesn’t even bring to light the 2.6 million Trade Dollars and 336,295 gold coins, most of which were double eagles.
The huge coinage output of these three years would not have even occurred though if it were not for the resiliency of the Comstock miners. In late October, 1875, an inferno tore through the town of Virginia City. Numerous mines and buildings were damaged or destroyed. Nearly 50% of the town lay in ruin. However, like a phoenix, the town quickly rose from its ashes and rebuilt, and silver output was soon back up to speed.
The effects of the Panic of 1873 were still strong as 1876 dawned, however there was a sparkling and fresh aura in the air in anticipation of the nation’s 100th birthday. Although the government was in hard times, and there was still little money to go around, this year sported the highest output of any other year of the mint in both face value and total number of coins produced. In fact, the Comstock region was one of the few areas in America where the local economy was actually doing, on the whole, well. Although these apex years of Virginia City were somewhat economically volatile, the general trend was good. Many men of the Comstock were drunk with money. These “silver kings,” as they became known, had tremendous political power and importance in the state.
Although dimes, quarters, halves and other denominations coined at the “CC” mint were tipping the scales with there staggering mintages, the lowly 20 cent piece saw a production of just 10,000 before a bill mandating the repeal of the denomination was introduced to Congress in July. “Double dimes,” as they were called, proved to be a failure, and none were minted in Carson City after 1876, although the bill repealing the coin did not become law until 1878. In 1877, Superintendent of the “CC” Mint, James Crawford, was ordered to melt all 1876 CC 20 cent pieces, and he did so. However, a few had escaped through the hands of mint employees or those sent to Philadelphia for assay. This accounts for the approximately eighteen known today.
Next on the numismatic chopping block was the Trade Dollar. By 1877, moods towards the Trade Dollar had turned sour, but for now it was still being produced in large quantities. However, 1877 marked the beginning of a slow and downward spiral of the production of the Mint and also the output of the Comstock. The mines themselves had simply begun to start to “play out.” Although millions of ounces of metal were still surging from Virginia City and the surrounding towns, overall output dipped for the first time.
The year of 1877 finished out relatively uneventful, but 1878 was born in the midst of a severe financial controversy. Harsh disagreements about an impending “Silver Act” dominated the monetary scene. Those who supported gold coins and the greenback felt that issuing more silver coins than were already present would be unnecessary, being that the marketplace was already saturated. Silverites wished for more silver coins to be minted so to support the mining industry. Ultimately, the silverites proved victorious with the passing of the act, named after Representative Richard Bland and Senator William Allison. The Bland-Allison Act mandated the purchase of $2-$4 million worth of silver to be purchased monthly by the Treasury. All that was purchased was to be coined into silver dollars (whose non-aesthetic specifications would be that of the Seated Liberty Dollar), and hereunto we have the birth of the famed Morgan Dollar.
A minute quantity of under 100,000 1878 Trade Dollars were produced at Carson City early in the year, many of which were later melted. The first Morgan Dollars minted at Philadelphia were struck on March 11, and, keeping in mind the time required for shipping, it is probable that Carson City struck its first Morgans a couple weeks later. The mint went on to produce 2.2 million Morgan Dollars that year, but the mintages of most other denominations suffered. Although the $5 and $10 gold pieces maintained similar mintages to the year preceding, the double eagle saw a mintage only 30% of 1877. Cumulative silver coin production, minus the dollar coins, was only 9.45% of 1877. Despite mintages falling off a cliff for many denominations, the 1878 CC Morgan Dollar was the dawn of an era for both modern day collectors and mint employees of the time. For many numismatists, the Morgan Dollar is the pinnacle of romantic grandeur. The majestic images that are aroused in the mind of a collector when they hold a CC Morgan can rarely be rivaled. For employees of the Carson City Mint, the introduction of the Morgan Dollar ultimately ended the production of dimes, quarters, and halves. Not a single coin with a face value below $1 was ever struck again at the Carson City Mint.
1879 was a slow and uneventful year. Morgan Dollar mintages dropped far below one million, and gold coin production also was nothing to marvel at. Although half eagle production doubled from 1878, it was still far under 20,000. Double Eagles snaked in at under 11,000 pieces, and the $10 gold piece fell victim to a terribly meager mintage of 1,762, the lowest mintage for this denomination at Carson City. The death of the Director of the Mint in Philadelphia, Henry Linderman, in January of 1879 failed to stir things up at Carson City, as he had never shown much interest in the mint there.
1880 continued at a similarly slow pace and production figures remained low. However, the people of the Comstock region were not so concerned with the output local mint as they were with the output on the local mines. Recently, the production figures from the local Comstock mines had taken a nose dive. The zenith of silver production from the Comstock Lode occurred in 1877, when nearly $22,000,000 worth of silver was extracted from the Earth. By the end of 1879, total output for that year had a value of $4.2 million. This dropped to just over $3 million in 1880, and then dramatically plummeted to $645,000 in 1881. The state that was born from silver was quickly depleting the primary benefit of its existence. In 1880 the mint began to have bullion shortages, and for months at a time would lay dormant, trying to scrape together enough bullion for it to be economical to resume operations.
It is around this point in time that the mint truly began to become insignificant. Carson City silver dollar output in 1880 was under 600,000, and this fell to under 300,000 in 1881. There were no double eagles produced these two years, and the combined production of half eagles and eagles was a skimpy one half of one percent of the total national output from all operating mints.
1882, ’83 and ’84 would have been equally dismal if it had not been for silver brought in from Colorado. Colorado was now a silver and gold mining super-power, and was producing millions upon millions of ounces of bullion annually. These three years the mint picked up the pace, at least in comparison to the previous year or two. The surrounding mining operations were all but dead, and this led to long suspensions of coining in Carson City. However, when the mint received shipments of bullion from Colorado, or had stockpiled enough precious metal from the low-output nearby mines, it would again swing into action. For months at a time, the machinery at the mint would lay silent. These were depressing years for the mint, and indeed for all of Nevada. The entire state seemed to be crumbling around them. There was little that could be done for the time being. Besides mining there was little Nevada had to offer. In the early days, Nevada could have become involved in the sold lumber industry to keep things going. However, most of the trees had been cut down to help build the boomtowns and mines. The ground was dry and non-arable. The future for the entire state was dim.
The presidential election of 1884 stirred things up quite a bit in the western mining regions. The democratic candidate, Grover Cleveland, slipped by republican James Blaine to win the presidency. Cleveland was a well-known advocate for the gold standard. He did not find silver coins necessary, and initially had intentions to repeal the Bland-Allison Act. However, Cleveland was more concerned with other issues and ultimately did not halt silver dollar production.
If Cleveland had continued with his plans to repeal the Bland-Allison Act, the bottom would have fallen out of the silver market. The Bland-Allison act had established an artificial price for silver that was based on the amount of metal in a silver dollar, and if Cleveland had followed through with his plans then the price of silver would have dropped dramatically. On top of the low price of silver, the mines would have almost no place to sell their silver to, as the Treasury was the main purchaser of bullion. The final outcome would have been the death of the crumbling silver industry in Nevada, and also severely hurt silver mining all over the United States.
Nevada was not out of trouble yet. Although the Bland-Allison Act remained in effect Cleveland was still against silver coinage. He did not find the mint in Carson City necessary (which agreed with the opinions of most politicians). There wasn’t even much silver coming out of the region any more! What point was there to keep the mint open and maintain it? The cost of minting coins at Carson City was often times as high as eight cents a coin (not including the intrinsic value), while minting coins at Philadelphia cost around two cents. The whole situation was inflamed when on March 8, 1885 the Superintendent of the Carson City Mint, James Crawford, died. William Garrard was appointed as Superintendent of the Carson City Mint on April 1, 1885, but in the meantime, on March 19, the Treasury ordered that the Carson City Mint be shut down for the remainder of the year. It was not until September 11, 1885 that the facility was completely mothballed, except for the vaults and a few rooms that would be used for purchasing bullion and assaying. Initially, all 80 employees were laid off. However the Mint soon began to hire again, as it needed to staff its bullion purchasing processes and assaying department. Slowly, the Mint began to hire a new, smaller staff. October, 1886 saw the hiring of Joseph Ryan as assayer and David Tuttle as melter and refiner. They did not receive much work. In fiscal year 1887, the Mint used roughly 1/3 of the money appropriated specifically for salaries and wages.
The Mint had not received authorization to strike coins in 1886. It did not receive authorization to strike coins in 1887, and certainly did not receive authorization to strike coins in 1888. Every year Carsonites hoped and hoped that their neighborhood mint would awaken and start to churn out coins. Their hopes were well justified. Starting in 1886, the Comstock mines had begun to pick up the pace. 1886-1890 saw an average of $5.3 million worth of bullion come from the ground. This is two and a half times the average of the first half of the decade. The only action saw by the Mint in 1886 was some minor assaying and the purchase of bullion. One of the primary customers of the assaying services of the Carson City Mint was the Savage Mining Company. The Savage Mine was one of the leading silver mines of the Comstock, and routinely had their bullion assayed, purified, and parted at the “CC” Mint. However, the Savage, like most other Comstock mines, shipped their bullion to San Francisco. The Carson City Mint managed to purchase only a meager $58,000 worth of bullion in fiscal year 1886. This was the lowest quantity of metal purchased by any United States Mint or United States Assay Office.
These were frustrating years for Carson City. There was a revival of mining, with plenty of bullion ready to be coined—and off it went to San Francisco. Why not let the Carson City Mint strike it? In many instances the V & T Railroad would transport unprocessed ore from the Comstock into Carson City, where it would be processed and the metal extracted. There would literally be tons and tons of fresh bullion in Carson City, and then it would just be taken off to be coined at San Francisco. The logic behind this simply doesn’t make sense.
The Trade Dollar Redemption Act of 1887 added to the frustration. The Act, which went into effect on March 3, mandated that all Trade Dollars to be recalled and removed from circulation. In exchange for every Trade Dollar, the depositor would receive a Morgan Dollar. Pretty soon people began depositing Trade Dollars at the Carson City Mint and surrounding banks. To the infuriation of Carsonites, instead of the CC Mint striking fresh Morgans to pay out, the Director of the Mint in Philadelphia authorized the transfer of 25,000 Morgan Dollars from San Francisco.
On several occasions the status of “United States Mint” was threatened. In a letter (Dated January 29, 1887) written by the Bureau of the Mint’s Supervising Architect, it is suggested that the building serve as a post office or court house. Of course, Carsonites strongly opposed such a notion. They held onto their hope that the Mint would one day strike coins again. They crushed any plans for altering the status of the Mint.
The Annual Report from the Director of the Mint for fiscal year 1887 contained a lengthy section of fifteen pages describing why the Carson City Mint should be permanently closed. Ultimately, the jist of the author was that the benefits of the mint were very insignificant. This outraged Carsonites, who believe that if their mint was given the chance to strike coins again, they could prove themselves to have at least some value. This frustrated, “give us one more chance” attitude persisted until the through the following year.
1888 proved to be a pivotal year for Carson City. Although as Spring emerged that year the people of Carson City were still frustrated and unhappy about the ridicule and lack of business their Mint was receiving, there was a new event to look forward to that could mean the revival of “CC” coinage. The presidential election was to occur this year, and after riding out the democratic anti-silver storm for four years, Carsonites were hoping that their pro-silver Republican candidate, Benjamin Harrison, could win the presidency and allow the Mint to again strike coins.
To the joy of Carson City, and indeed to all of Nevada, Harrison defeated Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland in the election that November. As 1888 turned over to ’89 the people of Carson City knew their mint had a future.
Harrison was inaugurated on March 4, 1889. A few months later, on July 1, Sam Wright, the new Carson City Mint Superintendent, received authorization to reopen the Mint and begin striking coins. The consent had been given by James Kimball, Director of the Mint, who had overwhelmingly been influenced and nudged by the new United States President.
Carsonites were ecstatic and entered a fever of preparation. The puny staff at the Mint from the four years of acting only as a purchaser of bullion and an assay office was buffed back up to nearly 75 people. Although most of the equipment required for preparing and striking coins was still present, much of it had fallen into disrepair during the presidency of Cleveland. It took nearly three months, from July 1st to late August to restore everything to working order, yet on October 1, 1889 the presses of the Carson City Mint roared back to life. The Mint had stockpiled over $1.6 million in gold bullion alone, and was more than ready to begin coining it.
Although the year played out with just 350,000 Morgan Dollars and 31,000 Double Eagles struck, the fact that that there were any coins at all bearing the “CC” mintmark from that year was a reason for Carsonites to celebrate. Although Carson City was the state capitol, and mining in the region had seen a noticeable increase within the past four years, the population of the Carson City area continued to decline. With the neighborhood mint now stretching its legs, this gave a sense of permanence to the immediate region. With a fully functioning United States mint, the area would most likely not suffer the demise of many other boomtowns. Carson City and the region around it had a regained sense of importance and significance.
The winter of 1889/1890 has been dubbed the “White Winter,” and fittingly so. The snow fell early in the season, and by the time Spring arrived over 100 inches of snow had fallen. And even though the winter was bitter, Carsonites were kept warm by their bright outlook for the future of the Carson City Mint. Nobody, though, could have foreseen the role that it took in its following four years. It was during this brief run of years, from 1890 to 1893, that the United States Mint at Carson actually played a significant roll in overall coinage output. In many cases, the Carson City Mint beat out San Francisco, New Orleans, or even the might Philadelphia Mint for production of specific denominations.
1890 dawned with a raging political battle being fought. The issue of “free silver” was on everyone’s mind. Put in simple terms, the conflict was based around the issue of silver itself as money. Silver was put in coins, but was used only as a metal of which the coins would consist of. The silver had intrinsic value, but was not legal tender in itself. Even though silver coin was money, one side of this political war, the “silverites” (many of whom were part of the Populist Party), wished to make any silver, coined or uncoined, money. This would make it so that any silver that was mined would already be considered money—and coining it would just be a regulatory measure. This would mean that mining companies could mine their silver, and have it directly coined without having to sell it to the Treasury or any other middleman. The companies could just take their freshly mined silver to the mints where it would be turned into coins.
“Gold Bugs,” the polar opposite in this political debate, wished to demonetize silver, and put the United States strictly on a gold standard. Many Gold Bugs felt that since so much silver had been mined from the Comstock Lode, it was an unstable basis for a nation to be even partially based upon (the United States was currently on a bimetallic standard, silver and gold). These issues were of the utmost important in mining states such as Nevada.
Other issues loomed over the heads of Carsonites, and indeed all Nevadans. The brief revival of mining that had occurred during the late 1880’s was becoming a thing of the past and mining production figures were slumping. Correspondingly, the price of silver had dipped too, resulting in little incentive to develop new mines in the region. Many Nevadans believed that “Free Silver” would help revive their mining industry.
Although “Free Silver” never became a reality, somewhat of a compromise was reached with the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, passed on June 14, 1890. The Act expanded upon the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, with the most significant modification being that the Treasury now was mandated to purchase a minimum of 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly. Due to the fact that silver mining output had slumped in the United States, the Sherman Act meant that just about every ounce of silver produced my a Comstock silver mine had a buyer. At the time, the Treasury was paying roughly 92 cents for an ounce of silver (which converts to about $19). Being that the contemporary Morgan Dollar had approximately .77 ounces of silver in it, the Treasury was making about 42 cents for every ounce of silver it bought then coined. Although this meant the silver mines were still being significantly middle-manned, they were still happy that their silver had a guaranteed buyer.
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act also required that a minimum two million silver dollars be minted monthly. This required all mints to “step up to the plate” and increase their silver dollar production. Carson City was no exception. With large stockpiles of bullion and a vigorous attitude, Carson City churned out 2.3 million silver dollars in 1890. This is the highest number of silver dollars ever made in a single year at the Carson City Mint, and although it represented only 6% of the silver dollars from that year produced at all mints, it proved that Carson City was capable of playing a significant roll in coinage production. In addition to the silver dollars, 162,509 gold coins struck at the facility, which helped catapult the total face value produced by Carson City well over the $4.5 million mark. The Carson City Mint had come back with a boom.
1890 also marked another revival of mining. The passage of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act helped to surge the price of silver well over a dollar, and approaching the $1.20 level. This resulted in increased mining operations. General Manager of the V& T Railroad, Henry Yerington, is stated that “new mines are being opened daily, and everybody feels that there is a great, big future.” The entire state of Nevada had become more optimistic, and understandably so. The entire state was based around mining, and if the price of silver was going up, so was the economy of the state.
Although the Sherman Act served as a kind of compromise between the gold bugs and silverites, the fight for “Free Silver” continued strongly in 1891. Proving the state’s devotion to “Free Silver” was the Editorial Association of Nevada, who in 1891 met in Reno and “passed a resolution stating that it would have nothing to do with any political party that did not include in its platform a plank demanding the free and unlimited coinage of silver” (Davis, The History of Nevada). However, the fight for “Free Silver” was not fought with as much vigor as it was in the couple of years preceding. Perhaps this is because Nevadans were too busy looking ahead, to the presidential election of 1892, than they were working with the present.
There were some political issues, though, that silverites had to get involved with. The death of Secretary of the Treasury William Windom in January, 1891, left an empty void in that position. Windom was pro-“free silver,” yet some of his policies made him unpopular in Nevada. Nevertheless, he was far better in the eyes of Nevadans than the man who replaced him, Charles Foster. Foster was against “Free Silver” entirely, primarily because he felt it led to too severe inflation. Foster was a wealthy man, with numerous business and international ties. He was a political powerhouse, and soon after he was appointed in February of 1891 he developed a plan to plunder deep into the gold reserves of the United States, and try to reestablish equilibrium between gold and silver coinage. However, he faced far too much opposition (much of it coming from Nevada), and left his position on March 6, 1893, when his term ended. He never enacted his plan.
Silver dollar production in 1891 maintained a hearty level in Carson City. 1.6 million pieces were struck. Eagle and Half Eagle production shattered previous “CC” records, with a cumulative amount over 310,000 pieces for the duo. Seemingly counterbalancing the high production for $10 and $5 gold pieces, Double Eagles finished out the year with a highly unimpressive 5,000 coined. It had been another successful year at the Mint. During the early 1890’s, the production figures for Morgan Dollars at most United States Mints began to slump, but Carson City kept on truckin’, and was able to keep a steady output. Although often time the decrease in the output of Morgans was balanced by an increase in fractional silver currency (dimes, quarters and halves), Carsonites still prided themselves about how they were holding relatively steady.
Adding to the satisfaction of Carsonites as the year of 1891 drew to a close was their pride of the new local Post Office. Four years in the making, this grand brick structure still stands today. It equaled, if not surpassed, the grandeur of the Mint building, and refreshed that sense of permanence that Carsonites felt when the Mint reopened in 1889.
“Free Silver” was the rage in 1892. Gold Bugs had strong support from Great Britain, who was on a gold standard. Great Britain boasted itself as the greatest and most powerful nation on Earth, and claimed that the gold standard was one of the main reasons for this. Silverites claimed that “Free Silver” would result in higher prices for agricultural crops, more political power to common individuals, and numerous other positive effects.
Ultimately though, no political debates could result in what Nevada needed most. More than anything, the “Silver State” needed something to be steady. In 1892, the price of silver had once again receded, now around the 80 cent mark. Correspondingly, the quantity of silver being mined in the region fell. Over the past decade, Nevada had been riding a wild rollercoaster of economic booms and busts, hitting high peaks and low troughs every few years. The poor economic condition was magnified by outrageous shipping fees by the railroads, which ate up much of the profits made by the mining companies.
Put in simple terms, 1892 was a year of confusion. Numerous separate issues clashed into a maelstrom of worry and despair for the folks of the Silver State. As mining production again slumped, so did production at Carson City. Silver Dollar production was still healthy, at 1.3 million, but this was the 3rd consecutive year of decreased mintage. Gold coin production also dipped, except for the Double eagles which rose to roughly 27,000. Although this was respectable, it could not counterbalance the insufficiency of the other gold denominations minted at Carson City.
Nevadans looked at the election of 1892 as if it were a young child, and the election was a caring mother. They hoped the election would make everything right, and establish some form of stability in the region. However, political devastation struck the Silver State as news struck that Grover Cleveland—the same Grover Cleveland that influenced the closure of the Carson City Mint in 1885—was elected president. Carsonites now looked grimly upon the future, anticipating the onslaught of their town’s pride and joy, their Mint.
Cleveland was inaugurated on March 4, 1893. Just two months into his term, on May 5, the New York Stock Exchange crashed, plunging the United States into a dismal economic depression that would last until 1897. The Panic of 1893, the moniker administered to it shortly after, had occurred for a multitude of reasons. However, many people blamed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, claiming it had put too much of a stress on the treasury. This further sullied the image of Nevada. One of the primary reasons that Act had been passed in the first place was to support the silver mining industry there. And what had this act brought for America? An economic depression.
President Cleveland, who was already opposed to the Carson City Mint, now had all the support he needed to close it. Additionally, the economic crash had greatly increased the demand for gold coins, considered to be more stable. Although Carson City was near a fair number of gold producing mines, silver was still the primary commodity in the region—and if silver was out of favor, so was the Carson City Mint.
For the early part of the year, the Mint was permitted to continue business at a steady pace, minting anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 silver dollars monthly. Double Eagles were minted more sporadically, only when deposits of gold were made. This all ended on June 1, 1893, when the Director of the Mint Robert Preston ordered coining operations to cease. The equipment was mothballed, and, an incredible cliché, a sign stating “gone out of business” was hung on the front door. This was not done before Carson City Mint employees struck twelve 1893 CC proof silver dollars, a last “hurrah!” of sorts. Although the exact date of when these proof coins were struck is lost in history, it was presumable right before the Mint closed in late May.
And here ends the saga of the Carson City Mint, at least in it’s years of coining. The Mint continued to operate as a Federal Assay Office, but saw little business. The Panic of ’93 had crippled much of the already dying silver mining industry in Nevada. The price of silver dropped to near 50 cents an ounce. Many mines closed permanently, and those that survived barely did so. Adding insult to injury, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was repealed in October of 1893, further damaging the silver market.
The Mint was altogether closed in 1895, amidst a scandal which revealed that much of the gold in the ingots stored on the premise had been removed and replaced with copper. The missing sum of gold was quite impressive, amounting to many tens of thousands of dollars worth. The occurrences in which the gold was removed from the ingots was traced back to the very early 1890’s. The image of Carson City was already poor, and this scandal infuriated politicians to the point in which they no longer wished to maintain the facility.
Very few people expected the building to be reopened. Even most Carsonites had lost hope. Miraculously, though, the building was reopened in 1896, possibly the result of bribe. The Carson City Mint once again resumed its operations as a federal assay office, but business was very slow. The very few that held onto their hopes that the Carson City facility would again strike coins were disappointed in 1899, when all the inventory of the Carson City Assay Office (roughly 5 million silver dollars) was shipped to treasury vaults elsewhere, and the coining machinery shipped out as well. Many of these CC silver dollars would surface again in the 1960’s and ‘70’s.
Caronsites were grumpy when, one year later, extensive gold and silver deposits were discovered in Goldfield and Tonapah, Nevada. These two sites resulted in a complete revival of vigorous mining in the region, and the people of Carson City knew that their Mint, now a Federal Assay Office, could have been coining all the fresh bullion flowing out of Nevada.
But besides an increased amount of assaying occurring at the Carson City facility, not much changed for the capitol of the Silver State. It took another 33 years before the building was completely and entirely shut down. Amidst the hundreds of acts, reforms, and other legislative mumbo-jumbo of Franklin Roosevelt, the Carson City Assay Office was dealt its death blow. Nellie Ross, then the Director of the Mint, administered the order to the facility to shut down on June 30, 1933.
The later half of the 19th century saw Carson City be transformed into a bustling little city. Populations rose greatly. The old mint building has served as the edifice of the Nevada State Museum since 1941. The museum even contains “Coin Press #1,” the original Carson City press which was delivered to the building in late November, 1868. The press is maintained and run by the devoted couple of Ken and Karen Hopple, who strike medallions on the machine, which of course bear the “CC” mintmark. Except for a few add-ons and a couple of renovations, the building, especially the exterior, remains relatively unchanged.
Needless to say, Carson City has left its mark in numismatics. From day one, the Mint had faced opposition and bullying from politicians and the mints in other cities. Yet every coin struck at the Carson City Mint was graced by the pride that went into it. And every coin struck at Carson City tells a story about the Comstock Lode, and blood and sweat that went into mining the metal to which gives the coin its substance. Many coin collectors collect because it gives them a bridge to history—some connection to the past. It would be hard to find a richer tale than the one left by the Mint in Carson City.