How did Carson City move their coins from the mint?
topstuf
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This may be somewhere I haven't seen, but it occurs to me that when the CC mint started, it was 1870 and transportation wasn't what it is today.
I would guess by rail, but man, it must have been a lot of coins going on the train.
Or.....????
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Here is a good read from our host:
pcgs.com/News/Carson-City-Mint
If the early mode of transportation was similar to that used at the de-commissioning of the facility (4th paragraph from bottom) then it's safe to assume railroad moved most of the mintage.
"In August (1899), a train took some 22 tons of remaining "CC" silver dollars away from the mint, and all the coining equipment was disassembled and shipped to other facilities."
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
Those were bulk distributions.
I was wondering about the seated dollars and twenty cent pieces.
CC made an inordinate amount of 20c pieces.
Wonder how the western states used so many of such an odd duck.
I read somewhere that the 1870 dollars were hauled out on horseback in saddle bags.
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. The Central Pacific leg of the route passed through Reno, Nevada which is about 30 miles North of Carson City. It could be that coinage was hauled overland by horse drawn wagons from Carson City to Reno for a brief period, but I seriously doubt that the Mint would have engaged single horseback riders to carry coinage any distance for no other reason than security.
"Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
http://www.american-legacy-coins.com
By 1870, there was a spur (Virginia and Truckee Railroad) that connected Carson City to the transcontinental railroad in Reno, about 20 miles to the North.
My guess would be by rail. Safest and fastest way.
Carson City Trade Dollars destined for China went by rail to the west coast. Part of the journey may have been by horse drawn wagon.
I wrote an article on Carson City Trade Dollars for Curry's Chronical, the now defunct journal for Carson City coin collectors. In my research for the article I found that they went by rail, as noted above via the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, to California, although I did find one reference to horse drawn wagon. The editor of the journal --who has forgotten more than I will ever know about the Carson City mint-- disagreed with the horse drawn wagon reference and asked that it be deleted. I agreed to drop that reference.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
Most of the trip from Carson was by rail, but some segments were by wagon in the early years. The main problem was the high cost of shipping to/from San Francisco.
Wagon from the Mint to the RR station (a few blocks). Then to points west and east via railroad to Reno.
bob:)
Any record of a train robbery where a bunch of coins were taken?? Perhaps never recovered? I enjoy old stories like that. Cheers, RickO
Robbery? Did you think this was the Wild West or something? (Oh wait. It was the Wild West...)
Not directly on the V&T, but the first recorded train robbery West of the Mississippi occurred very close to Truckee/Reno on the Central Pacific. $41,600 in gold coins from the San Francisco...
GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY OUTSIDE VERDI, NEVADA, 1870
Not a robbery on the V&T, but a cool story:
Johnny Bartholomew: Hero on the V&T Railroad
@BackroadJunkie ...Thanks for the link.... some great stories there.... Cheers, RickO