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Carson City Coins - Whats the Deal?

interpolsinterpols Posts: 51 ✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum

I know Carson City coins, like the ones with the CCs on them, are really expensive because the mint was shut down so early, but whats the deal with that, why did it shut down?

Feel free to post any cool Carson City coins you have in the thread, that'd be hype

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  • MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 38,670 ✭✭✭✭✭

    panache // mintages

  • GoobGoob Posts: 334 ✭✭✭✭
    edited January 29, 2026 7:33PM

    I think CC coins are just harder to get and have lower mintages compared to those from the other mints which really bumps up their price. Even if they had the occasional typical mintage amount, which they did, their legacy drives up the cost.

    "Another day, another Collectors Universe forum scrolling session."
    - Someone, probably

  • interpolsinterpols Posts: 51 ✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:
    panache // mintages

    elaborate

  • FullHornFullHorn Posts: 1,167 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Are there Leno City coins?

  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 6,899 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Easy pickings from Comstock lode all mined out.

  • World67World67 Posts: 13,088 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Don't get @jmlanzaf started. He hates Carson City for some reason but won't tell you why.

  • lkeneficlkenefic Posts: 9,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dude! Just Google "carson city mint closure"... it's not that hard...

    Collecting: Dansco 7070; Middle Date Large Cents (VF-AU); Box of 20;

    Successful BST transactions with: SilverEagles92; Ahrensdad; Smitty; GregHansen; Lablade; Mercury10c; copperflopper; whatsup; KISHU1; scrapman1077, crispy, canadanz, smallchange, robkool, Mission16, ranshdow, ibzman350, Fallguy, Collectorcoins, SurfinxHI, jwitten, Walkerguy21D, dsessom.
  • World67World67 Posts: 13,088 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @Morgan White said:
    Don't get @jmlanzaf started. He hates Carson City for some reason but won't tell you why.

    Not me. But if you mention Carson Daly, there's going to be trouble.

  • jmlanzafjmlanzaf Posts: 40,336 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Morgan White said:

    @jmlanzaf said:

    @Morgan White said:
    Don't get @jmlanzaf started. He hates Carson City for some reason but won't tell you why.

    Not me. But if you mention Carson Daly, there's going to be trouble.

    All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.

  • Shabu92Shabu92 Posts: 21 ✭

    Is that Hugh Laurie?

  • MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 38,670 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @interpols said:

    @MsMorrisine said:
    panache // mintages

    elaborate

    old west town, silver boom, minting gold and silver from the localities

    mintages can be low on the cc coins - take a series and look at the numbers

  • interpolsinterpols Posts: 51 ✭✭✭

    @MsMorrisine said:

    @interpols said:

    @MsMorrisine said:
    panache // mintages

    elaborate

    old west town, silver boom, minting gold and silver from the localities

    mintages can be low on the cc coins - take a series and look at the numbers

  • rooksmithrooksmith Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭
    edited January 30, 2026 9:05PM

    You would be interested in some of the other lesser known mints like New Orleans "O", and Dahlonega "D" and Charlotte "C".. They obviously had to close Dahlonega in order to make room for and justify the D in Denver.

    “When you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished.” - Tommy Smothers
  • rooksmithrooksmith Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭
    edited January 30, 2026 9:06PM

    CC stands for Ca-CHING!

    “When you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished.” - Tommy Smothers
  • seatedlib3991seatedlib3991 Posts: 1,612 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @interpols . What you should do is a search on here about the Carson City Mint. I don't remember names very well but an individual on this site recently made a visit to the old mint and posted a detailed report. It was an excellent report and it will probably also give you insight on why it is so popular currently. james

  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 25,085 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The silver market, and price, crashed in 1893.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 47,420 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rooksmith said:
    They obviously had to close Dahlonega in order to make room for and justify the D in Denver.

    The Dahlonega mint closed in 1861 and the Denver mint opened in 1906 which was 45 years later. Closing one didn't have anything to do with opening the other.

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
    "Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
    "Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire

  • CaptHenwayCaptHenway Posts: 33,635 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here's an answer to the OP's question that I doubt he will find online.

    Railroads.

    The Dahlonega and Charlotte Mints opened in 1838 when it was difficult to transport the output of the southern Appalachian gold fields to the Philadelphia Mint. By 1861 output was fading out AND the railroads had made transportation much easier, making those two Mints obsolete. Of course, once started many government projects carry on indefinitely, until somebody or some thing stops them.

    The Comstock silver lode opened in 1859, at a time when that area had no easy freight connection to the outside world. The Carson City Mint should have opened much earlier than 1870, if only to provide finished coinage to the mining companies to pay their workers with, but I assume that the Civil War intervened. The year before it opened the Transcontinental Railroad opened, and I assume not too long after that a spur railroad connected the Transcontinental Railroad to the mining regions of Nevada. After that Nevada gold and silver could easily be transported to San Francisco.

    I have an article in the pipeline at The Numismatist that will explain the heavy CC mintages of 1875 and 1876, and some of the problems that they caused.

    After that the Bland-Allison Act kept it open for a while striking silver dollars and a little bit of gold, but it really was obsolete by 1878.

    TD

    Numismatist. 54 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Author of "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.
  • Joe_360Joe_360 Posts: 1,842 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Let's see..,
    The Morgan was minted for 28 years, but the CC was only minted for 13
    Carson City is the only US coin with two mint marks
    CC represents the Old West
    By standards, the CC is low mintage with the highest being only 2.2M - 3 CC's in the top-ten of the lowest minted Morgan's, and the local Comstock mine declined in producing silver...

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 35,654 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Mining area, romantic period, limited mintages ...

    I am more of a Dahlonega collector, and I don't have very many Carson City coins. I'm not sure why, but I have just never felt the motovation.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • DDRDDR Posts: 1,659 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This month's Numismatist magazine's cover story is about alleged mudslinging by other mint officials against the Carson City mint, claiming that the latter's coin production, particularly Trade Dollars, was an inferior product compared to the San Francisco mint.

    Fascinating story (and not just because my chopmarked 1878-CC Trade Dollar is on the cover!)

    David
    Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
    Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
  • GoldbullyGoldbully Posts: 18,430 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here's the deal................The Carson City Mint Press in action.

  • CatbertCatbert Posts: 8,149 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @TennesseeDave said:
    The deal is that people just like them.

    Fantastic coin.

    Seated Half Society member #38

    "She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
    running like a water color in the rain...."
  • rooksmithrooksmith Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭

    @TennesseeDave said:
    The deal is that people just like them.

    Notice the spacing between the C's . You can learn a lot just by observing

    “When you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished.” - Tommy Smothers
  • lermishlermish Posts: 4,560 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rooksmith said:

    @TennesseeDave said:
    The deal is that people just like them.

    Notice the spacing between the C's . You can learn a lot just by observing

    And what exactly are you observing regarding this mintmark?

    There doesn't appear to be anything noticeable (other than the coin being a really nice example). And this specific reverse die is the most common reverse die for the date.

    chopmarkedtradedollars.com

  • rooksmithrooksmith Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭

    @lermish said:

    @rooksmith said:

    @TennesseeDave said:
    The deal is that people just like them.

    Notice the spacing between the C's . You can learn a lot just by observing

    And what exactly are you observing regarding this mintmark?

    There doesn't appear to be anything noticeable (other than the coin being a really nice example). And this specific reverse die is the most common reverse die for the date.

    What I found interesting was in comparing the CC mint marks of different dates (in this thread!)

    There are three different CC mintmarks varieties, depending on the date. the 1876 is a Medium CC (1873-1878) the spacing is wider than the CC on the 1889 (higher up in this thread....'

    I am constantly learning new things from looking at the various coins that people are posting. I personally only have one CC Morgan, an 1879.

    This mintmark looks very different than the others. I think it might be a capped, or repunched CC

    ---- FROM COPILOT AI :

    The Carson City “CC” mintmark was produced with only a small handful of distinct punch styles, but the exact count depends on how finely you classify them. In mainstream numismatics, there are three primary CC mintmark varieties, while specialists sometimes break them into 5–7 sub‑varieties.

    Below is the clear breakdown collectors use today:

    Primary CC Mintmark Varieties (Widely Recognized)

    1. Early Large CC (1870–1873)

    • Big, wide letters
    • Thick, heavy serifs
    • Seen on early Seated Liberty coinage
    • Very bold appearance

    2. Medium CC (1873–1878)

    • More compact than the early punch
    • Cleaner, more refined serifs
    • Used on later Seated Liberty and early Morgan dies

    3. Small CC (1878–1893)

    • Most common on Morgan dollars
    • Narrower spacing
    • Thinner letters
    • This is the style most collectors picture when they think “CC”

    These three are the standard varieties referenced in Red Book, PCGS, NGC, and most numismatic literature.

    Specialist-Level Sub‑Varieties (Optional, 5–7 total)

    Advanced die‑variety researchers (VAM collectors, Variety Vista, etc.) sometimes break CC punches into more granular categories, such as:

    • Small CC – High placement
    • Small CC – Low placement
    • Tilted CC
    • Large CC – Wide spread
    • Repunched CC (RPD / RPM‑style)
    • Micro‑variations in serif shape

    These are die varieties, not official mintmark punches, so they expand the count depending on how deep you go.

    “When you don't know what you're talking about, it's hard to know when you're finished.” - Tommy Smothers
  • lermishlermish Posts: 4,560 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rooksmith said:

    @lermish said:

    @rooksmith said:

    @TennesseeDave said:
    The deal is that people just like them.

    Notice the spacing between the C's . You can learn a lot just by observing

    And what exactly are you observing regarding this mintmark?

    There doesn't appear to be anything noticeable (other than the coin being a really nice example). And this specific reverse die is the most common reverse die for the date.

    What I found interesting was in comparing the CC mint marks of different dates (in this thread!)

    There are three different CC mintmarks varieties, depending on the date. the 1876 is a Medium CC (1873-1878) the spacing is wider than the CC on the 1889 (higher up in this thread....'

    I am constantly learning new things from looking at the various coins that people are posting. I personally only have one CC Morgan, an 1879.

    This mintmark looks very different than the others. I think it might be a capped, or repunched CC

    ---- FROM COPILOT AI :

    Your analysis of trade dollar CC mintmarks and your AI slop are both incorrect.

    chopmarkedtradedollars.com

  • seatedlib3991seatedlib3991 Posts: 1,612 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @skier07 . Excellent coin. I had to sell quite a few coins during covid; really hurt to have to sell my pair of CC Trade dollars. My 1873-CC was an NGC 50; the other was an 1877-CC PCGS-58. Thanks for posting. James

  • DDRDDR Posts: 1,659 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I once put together a complete run of CC Silver Dollars, Seated Liberty, Trade and Morgan, from 1870-1893. It was fun project (not cheap, but fun!) You can view it by clicking on the link below my signature line.

    David
    Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
    Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
  • VetterVetter Posts: 961 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have only 2 Carson City coins in my collection. Maybe some more in the future.

    Members I have done business with:
    Silverman68, jfoot13, GAB, ricman, Smittys, scrapman1077, RyGuy, Connecticoin, Meltdown, VikingDude, Peaceman, Patches and more.
  • seduloussedulous Posts: 3,496 ✭✭✭✭✭

    1881-CC Morgan Dollar V. Ch. BU

    A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.

  • MEJ7070MEJ7070 Posts: 821 ✭✭✭✭✭

    XF 45 (CAC)

  • GoobGoob Posts: 334 ✭✭✭✭

    @DDR said:
    I once put together a complete run of CC Silver Dollars, Seated Liberty, Trade and Morgan, from 1870-1893. It was fun project (not cheap, but fun!) You can view it by clicking on the link below my signature line.

    That is an absolutely fantastic registry set. Congrats on somehow being able to finish it all!

    "Another day, another Collectors Universe forum scrolling session."
    - Someone, probably

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