A Brief Glimpse Inside the Dahlonega Mint -- in 1851
GeorgeKellogg
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I am up late tonight -- working on the preparations for the Georgia Numismatic Association's Educational Exhibits -- April 17-19, 2015, in Dalton, GA (I'm the Educational Exhibits Manager).
I needed a break, so I thought I'd take a brief, relaxing side-trip to the Dahlonega Mint -- in 1851.
The D-Mint was getting considerable deposits from the California gold fields that year -- so much that the precious yellow metal arriving from the 'Golden State' actually surpassed the deposits from Georgia. I also noticed something interesting about the Half Eagle dies -- no new reverse dies were sent from Philadelphia in 1851, as four from 1850 and one from 1849 had been 'carried over' -- instead of being defaced, as often happened.
One of the reverse dies that had been used in 1850 was in particularly bad shape -- definitely a candidate for defacement! It had a very weak mint mark, which had struck Half Eagles in 1850, but by the following year, the die had been worn and polished to the extent that the 'D' mint mark was hardly visible. The die also had extensive die cracks. Half Eagle coinage had taken place in the last month of 1850 and the Mint's coiner, Robert H. Moore, may have left the reverse die in place on the toggle-joint coining press -- after the December 1850 Half Eagle coinage had taken place.
Here is a photograph of Dahlonega Mint Coiner, Robert H. Moore:
Half Eagles -- to the tune of 1,498 examples were struck in January 1851, likely from the worn out reverse die described above -- from 1850 -- still attached to the coining press. I can see no other reason -- with five reverse dies available -- to choose the 'worst' one for coinage. Other scenarios are theoretically possible, but I think this one is the most likely.
Although I already owned a nice 1851-D half eagle -- from the James A. Stack collection (illustrated above -- all coin images are courtesy of BluCC Photos) -- I couldn't resist purchasing a second example, that with the 'Weak D' -- at a Chattanooga Show a number of years ago. This latter piece would make a poor D-Mint Half Eagle Type Coin, but I had already progressed to the point of acquiring interesting Dahlonega Mint die varieties. This one is quite rare and was also 'priced right,' making it easy to 'pull the purchasing trigger.'
Below are photographs of the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle -- only the top portion of the mint mark is visible.
To help identify the location of the mint mark on the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle, included in the following composite photograph, are images of Half Eagles struck with the aforementioned reverse die. The first image shows the die's use on an 1850-D Half Eagle, when the mint mark was stronger, as well as the same die used on the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle. Note the identical reverse die cracks around the periphery of each coin.
I needed a break, so I thought I'd take a brief, relaxing side-trip to the Dahlonega Mint -- in 1851.
The D-Mint was getting considerable deposits from the California gold fields that year -- so much that the precious yellow metal arriving from the 'Golden State' actually surpassed the deposits from Georgia. I also noticed something interesting about the Half Eagle dies -- no new reverse dies were sent from Philadelphia in 1851, as four from 1850 and one from 1849 had been 'carried over' -- instead of being defaced, as often happened.
One of the reverse dies that had been used in 1850 was in particularly bad shape -- definitely a candidate for defacement! It had a very weak mint mark, which had struck Half Eagles in 1850, but by the following year, the die had been worn and polished to the extent that the 'D' mint mark was hardly visible. The die also had extensive die cracks. Half Eagle coinage had taken place in the last month of 1850 and the Mint's coiner, Robert H. Moore, may have left the reverse die in place on the toggle-joint coining press -- after the December 1850 Half Eagle coinage had taken place.
Here is a photograph of Dahlonega Mint Coiner, Robert H. Moore:
Half Eagles -- to the tune of 1,498 examples were struck in January 1851, likely from the worn out reverse die described above -- from 1850 -- still attached to the coining press. I can see no other reason -- with five reverse dies available -- to choose the 'worst' one for coinage. Other scenarios are theoretically possible, but I think this one is the most likely.
Although I already owned a nice 1851-D half eagle -- from the James A. Stack collection (illustrated above -- all coin images are courtesy of BluCC Photos) -- I couldn't resist purchasing a second example, that with the 'Weak D' -- at a Chattanooga Show a number of years ago. This latter piece would make a poor D-Mint Half Eagle Type Coin, but I had already progressed to the point of acquiring interesting Dahlonega Mint die varieties. This one is quite rare and was also 'priced right,' making it easy to 'pull the purchasing trigger.'
Below are photographs of the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle -- only the top portion of the mint mark is visible.
To help identify the location of the mint mark on the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle, included in the following composite photograph, are images of Half Eagles struck with the aforementioned reverse die. The first image shows the die's use on an 1850-D Half Eagle, when the mint mark was stronger, as well as the same die used on the 1851-D 'Weak D' Half Eagle. Note the identical reverse die cracks around the periphery of each coin.
"Clamorous for Coin"
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Latin American Collection
If you havent read GK's piece on the coloration of Dahlonega gold on the Gold Rush Gallery site it is a must read!
Latin American Collection
Well, just Love coins, period.
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We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
I've been to the Dahlonega gold museum several times and posted here about it. Search "Dahlonega" if you want and scroll down and find my post on it. Always a neat thing to do if you're around those parts and a great piece of history. The coins in the safe on display ain't too shabby either.
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<< <i>OK, I am biased as I am from "The Golden State" but I always find it amusing when such coins are referred to as "Southern Gold", when in fact the gold itself was supplied from the main source. Nice coins. >>
There were only four years (1851-1854) at the Dahlonega Mint, where the amount of California gold exceeded that from Georgia. The influx of California gold deposited at the Dahlonega Mint went way down in the years following the opening of the San Francisco Mint in 1854. Miners from the Georgia gold fields had actually gone to California to mine gold, after the discovery of gold in California in 1848. The Assayer at the Dahlonega Mint, Matthew Stephenson, tried to dissuade the miners from leaving Dahlonega -- by pointing to Findlay Ridge and shouting "There's millions in it!" Stephenson's declaration was later the inspiration for Mark Twain's famous quote "There's gold in them thar hills!" Here's a photograph of Matthew Stephenson.
The gold deposited at the Dahlonega Mint actually came from a number of States and wasn't always 'mined gold.' In addition to dust and nuggets, the Mint often received gold bars, foreign gold coins, scrap gold, and even territorial gold coins, such as Bechtler gold. I shudder to think that the Mint may have melted down Templeton Reid gold pieces.
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<< <i>Thank you George for a very interesting write-up. I don't think I have reached the point in my Dahlonega collecting to buy a "weak D" $5 gold, but I enjoyed seeing your example. >>
Thanks, Bill. I like anything that is interesting and unusual from Dahlonega. My thinking at the time was that I already had a nice 1851-D Half Eagle -- with a bold D mint mark. Additionally, the 1851-D Weak D Half Eagle variety is rare -- unlike the 1850-D Weak D. I believe that the Mint's Coiner likely retired this reverse die -- after seeing the poor mint mark on the coins. The deciding factor on my purchase was the attractive, three-figure price -- I thought it was a 'no brainer' for a rare, PCGS-graded Dahlonega Half Eagle variety.
WS
i love half eagles!
<< <i>very informative and well illustrated, thanks! >>
I don't dabble in gold so I'm fairly ignorant on the subject.
Between your write-up and pics, I give it an A+.
Thanks.
"If I say something in the woods and my wife isn't there to hear it.....am I still wrong?"
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Any chance you are doing your Dahlonega PowerPoint presentation this year at the GNA show?
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
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<< <i>Thanks GK. As always, great stuff.
Any chance you are doing your Dahlonega PowerPoint presentation this year at the GNA show? >>
I wasn't asked until now -- I have been busy trying to put together our numismatic exhibits area on the bourse floor. Dennis Schafluetzel is in charge of the Educational Programs and I don't know what he has lined up. I'll bring the presentation on a thumb drive, in case an opportunity arises.