The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-04-13
COINS THAT BEAR
PREMIUMS.

The new Denver mint which with
the beginning Of this year started to
make half dollars and quarters, is the
eighth authorized by the United States
government. The coins now made
there bear the mint letter 'D' stamped
On their face. While this mint was or
iginally authorized in 1864, it was US
ed only as an assay Office up 10 the
present year, and previous TO 1906 I-
sued no coins.
The same mint letter was used OH
the coins turned out by the mint at
Dahlonega, Ga, for which congress
provided in 1885. 1t was intended 10
issue gold. coins made from metal
taken from the Georgia mines and
! regular coinage was begun in 1888. In
1862 the confederates seized tie mint.
After peace was restored the United
States government made no attempt to
resume operations there. Many Of the
gold coins bearing the mint mark ID"
are now of the highest rarity. The
rarest are the gold dollars of 1865, 1856
Glu JOCD, Liz S-O Solu p4CNCS VI IC1cs
1856, 1857 and 1858 and the So gold
piece of 1861. Some of these coins are
worth over a hundred dollars.
BY the same act of congress Of 1885
another mint was established 1T Char
lOtte, y. c., also to be devoted ex-
clusively to the coinage of gold, which
was taken from North Carolina mines.
The letter of this mint was "C'. The
rarest Of it's coins now is the gold
dollar of 1854, with a liberty head.
Coinage was stopped in 1862.
The act of 1885 also authorized a
mint at New Orleans, whose coins
were to Dear the mark "O.' When
Louisiana seeded the mint was seized
and operations were continued under
the joint authority of the state and
the confederate government.
Altogether under their management
there were issued 1854, $40 in $50 gold
pieces and 81 ,1O1 ,316.5O in silver half
dollars, the United States dies of 1861
being used. In May, 1861, the confed-
crates, those of the United States
were destroyed. The dies were found
to be unsuitable for the regular mint
press.
Four pieces were struck from a COM
mon screw press, anu these DIN We're
the only mes of any denomination is
sued by the confederates. The diverse
of this half dollars was similar, but
the reverse was radically different.
On this side there is d shield, on which
are seven stars, representing the Sc
ceeding states. Above the shields was
a liberty cap, entwined amOund It be-
ing stalks of sugar cane and cotton,
with the words confederate State;
Of America At the bottom was a
'half dol"
One of these new half dollars sold
for $500. The dies afterward fell into
private hands and it is estimated that
about 500 coins were struck before the
dies broke. These restrtkes are also
held at a nigh premium.
Many of the regular New Orleans
coins are also highly valued by collec-
tors. The half dollars Of 1888 and 1858
the latter without arrows Or days. are
excessively rare, the former being
worth between 70 and 500. Of the
rare ten and twenty dollar gold pieces
issued by this mint the scarcest are
the eagles dated 1857, 1859 and 1888
and the double eagles dated 1856 ano
!, 1879.
The Carson City mint coins bear the
letters &C. c." Some of the coins bear
ing these two letters are included a.
mong the rarest of United States is
sues. such as the standard silver dol
/ lars of 1870, 1871, 1872 and 1873. \
| branch mint was also authorized il
/ 1864 to be operated at Dallas City
t Ore. for the coinage of eol1 and silver
: but it never issued n coins.
The San Francisco mint was author
lied in 1852 to coin both gold snt
silver, and since that year has coinet
a greater amount of gold and sllve!
than any other mint, excepting tn
= main mint at Philadelphia. It's min
=. letter is IS"
Some of the smaller denomination
issued at San Francisco are now valu
able. The half dimes of 1868, 1866 an
1867 are quoted at a high premium, a
= is the dime of 1894, of which only =
; were coined, and a specimen OF Whlcl
= is easily worth S25. Rare gold COIN
bearing the mint mark - are IN
J. $3.50 gold piece of 1858, tnc three dol
: lar pieces of 1855, 1856 and 1860, an
the ten dollar pieces of 1855 and 1861
It is said by expert numismat1st
that the San Francisco dollar issues o
1880 and 1872 are harder to get tina
s any coins of this denomination issue
from 1894 to 1905. and are as Il rul
worth a great deal more. The stand
ard silver dollar bearing the letter IS
1t and dated 1873, of which only 700 wer
1t coined. according 10 experts, woul
surpass the dollar Of 1-oi in point Q
value. and yet a copy Of this latte
coin in u~ncirculated condition ia
brought $500.
y There were two private minis whlc
Is coined only gold. one Of which wa
- owned by G. Bechtler. and operated
Rutherford, \. c., the other that Q
+, Templeton Reid, who maintained
IS mint in Georgia and afterwards issue
o coins in California. Both OF thes