The Washington herald., 1907-11-17
COINS AND NOTICES
ELIMINATION OF IN GOD WE TRUST" RECALLS
SOME OTHER EXAMPLES

was not authorized or directed by any
OF the provisions of the act establishing
/ II. The motto remained on our early
gold and silver coins until 1894. when Il
was omitted from the gold coins. In 1886
IL was omitted from the 25-cent pieces.
and in 1887 from all silver coins. II was
not stamped on any coin again until II
appeared on the nickel and the standard
silver dollar.
The words In God We trust were
first place on the 2-eent piece. which
came into or subsidiary coinage in 1866
The motto was placed there by direction
Of James Pollock, then director of the
United States mint at Philadelphia. and
not by any legislation Of Congress au-
| thorizing the minting OF the g-cent
piece. The motto was subsequently
stamped on our silver half and quarter
dollars. In 1923 the first gold coins we're
stamped by authority in the United States
mint from gold found in North Carolina
The first gold diggings and mines In the
United States were in North Carolina, and
the placer pit mines OF that State. to-
gether with those OF Georgia and South
Carolina. discovered later. were so full
Of gold that they supplied the United
States minis and the demands OF trade
in this country with the precious metal
from 1880 until the discovery OF gold in
California, the mint having received from
the North Carolina gold regions alone
more than S25,OO0,0oo worth of gold
Il was the gold yield OF North Caro-
lima and Georgia that led 10 the estab-
lishment OF branch mints at Charlotte.
y. C.. and Dahlonega. Ga. Long before
that, however, gold dust being the uni
versal circulating medium in lower North
Carolina and Northern Georgia and the
adjacent regions Of South Carolina. and
the risk and inconvenience attending its
use being very great. German gold
smith. named Christopher Bechtier es-
tablished a private mint in the South
Mountain district of North Carolina. in
Rutherford County, a few miles from
Rutherfordton. the county seat for the
turning OF gold into money He stamped
from the gold the miners brought In.
either from the North Carolina. Georgia
or South Carolina mines. gold coins OF
the denominations Of 81. $3.50 and s..
receiving certain percentage of the
Boid TOT MS Work. This mint was in
operation from 1881 until Bechtler's death.
| in 1913. The coins were stamped and
minted by a press and dies made by
Bechtler himself. The dies were cut
with the denomination. quality of the
hneness OF the gold. the name OF the
| coiner, and the abbreviation Of the name
OF the State In which the gold was
mined No alloy was used IN the
minting.
Bechtler was so conscientious in de-
noting the fneness OF the gold that many
Of the coins OF his mint that have been
melted down and ass2yed at the govern
ment assay office at Charlotte have
proved to be finer than the mark on the
coins declared them TO be. Bechfler made
fortune from the seigniorage OF his
coining, and, although the United States
branch mint was established at Char
lotte in 1855. the Bechtler money was
for years thereafter the popular cur
rency Of a large portion OF the South
Even to-day some wayback mountafneer
occasionally presents one Of these rare
coins at the village stores in payment
for purchases, It having been. perhaps.
hoarded FOR years in his family. Yet
curious as il may seem, these old coins
OF that private mint in the wild hills
OF North Carolina. rare as they are and
OF such interesting association have but
their face value among collectors.