The sun., 1910-01-09
GOLD COIN FINDS OF 1903
AMERICAN. ISSUES NOT kNOWN
. 10 NAVE BEEN PRESERVED.
A New variety OF a RcChtIer S5 Gold
\ ricce-CscOrEia &IOCOin and n Quarter
Eagle 0r the Dunbar NIIntInK-SOnIe
lIlSh Prices for These discoveries.

n A number OF the rarest of American
y ol,ipf AMONG them new variety OF the
y Ss'goid pieces made by a private assayer,
,athyistopher Bechtler, at Rutherfordton.
ssN. e.. IN 1891. This private mint was one
ls-uf tiie first of lis kind in this country and
1 was cunduoted from 1891 until long after
the establishment of the United States
branch mint at Charlotte. y. {. The Gov
er1lnnlSst authorities were we'll aware OF
the exiHteuloe of the private coming
plaiiS tnd the Director of the Mint ro-
feted to ~ in his reports. but no stepe
wvte. taken 70 iRssysNP ks.s- operations
az BechtleT, & <, .s;.:
The hsss sSssSs was recently pur-
asased. W q well known New York col
pfctog The ooinli good deal larger than
asA.e st:s& Etatee IS gold piece
pknd tbs rcsAizn u IN no swny similar to that
Boxpcss by the- fioyernment coins. On the
A3l}nfSe. xsnuuc. the border. lis the inscrip-
\ tt6n -C Bechfler. Aseayer." In the field
esletters forming - circle are the words
fRsstherford Co0nty." On the reverse in
NE field is large Arabic figure a." be-
tbW which Is the word dollars. and still
kfurther below 30 Carats," Around the
fBofdkr iE North Carolina Gold" . o.
Z a The newly discovered coin liz almost
tN1entical in design with what has hitherto
ftsen regarded AZ the rarest of the Becht
2<f IS pieces--the piece that weighs $50
kgrAirs The difference lies in the omis-
twic.s ef the inscription "l50 Gr' which
sAptmsas on the other variety. IL is sup
tposed that this SIS piece was the first of
the denomination to have been issued by
kBechtler. and fills out series of $3.50
rand s. pieces issued by the private mint.
There are two varieties of the So 50 piece
4 which show the same difference. One has
tthe line rs Grs" under the stamp of fine
meas. On the other OF the same design the
( ynsight is omitted.
~ " is difficult Ia estimate the value of
!. &he new coin. b,It being unique so far
= ns known il is thought TO he worth
good deal more than the other variety.
.Df which eighteen specimens are recorded.
I. one, 9f which several years ago brought
!. the record premium of S7S5.
II Auother coin discovery was that of
ten dollar piece issued in Georgia in 1890.
being the very first gold coin to he passed
ms money that was made in this country
outside Of Governfnent mint. This coin.
I which was taken over the counter Of
kilalg store in Macon. Ga. a month or so
ago. was issued by Templeton Reid. an
nkeAyer. in Bumpkin county. Georgia
near the gold mines. On the diverse
of the coin is the inscription around the
Border -Templeton Reid, Assayer.' In
the field in two lines are the words Ten
Dollars On the reverse around the
border are the words Georgia Gold.'
while in the field is the date. 1880"
The only known specimen al this
tan dollar piece as in the collection Of
fpeornilssnt Chicago collector. and even the
HPhiladelpkia mint coin cabinets did not
!, ,n6ntaip a specimen. The coin was bought
! INV a. :, Macon coin collector for $3.50. and
he almost Immediately sold it TO the same
rChichg0 collector who owns the first
named specimen. The price is said to
\ have been Sl.25p.
y aSA fhirti variety to come 10 notice was
a Eve dollar gold piece dated 1851 made
Z by tfho banking house of Dunbar A CO.
senior member of the firm. was a New
& Yorker who cut prominent figure in
California affairs in the pioneer days.
BE afterward came East and organized
the Continental Bank Note Company,
later merged into the American Bank
Note Company. Although many thou
4 santls OF dollars wo ortG OF these five dollar
2pieces were issued by Dunbar Il Co. in
s4wae the second to he found. II is sir liar
In design to the regular United States
half eagle. hut the inscription on the
coronet worn bv Liberty on the diverse
: OF the coin reads Dunbar Co instead
-. Therooin was, purchased q short time
<Ano ~ Il Nassau street coin dealer for
&Es and he lateEisold it to Chicago col
y ,ThSsS a Re nasy diffetsnE varieties Of
8he ostsAoiiai 1hfty dollar gold -slugs.'
$50 called. One collector OF PittSburR
Mas made a specially of the collection of
Mhese pieces and is said to have accumu-
Mated over a hundred specimens. II had
'tbeen Thought that all the varieties were
KNOWN. but a new one made it's appear
fRuce at the Zabriskie sale. which was held
Nm sPhiladelphia last June. This piece
Il The piece which is thought to be the
bast.Uyl4eryedo of the hndsextant. showed
- daBacfeeARia op-tt1e ot1yeTs supporting
- UIfited states shfetd Around the bor-
9Etes' ''reEts Augustris- -H,rynbtrt United
&tstates Assayer of Gold California"
%Around the eagle reads United States of
I,America Fifty Dolls Above the eagle
Ais label which bears the fineness of the
kEolds dscontained by the piece. 1887 Thous"
H)n the reverse N a regular engine turned
FiesiE with small targetlike centre
IrheF com was originally owned by Au-
Hxustus Humbert. He had formerly been
- watch case maker on Nassau street
&2ulS CtIy, ana IN 10OO was appointed United
HStates Assayer at the assaying esta blish-
<&nent OF Moffat a Co. at San Francisco
&wiien the latter firm got the assaying con-
sfrnct from the Secretary of the Treasury.
"a At the same sale was offered an unusual
gvariety of twenty dollar piece issued by
kthe assay Office conducted by Moffat
tCo. This coin brought $3.50. The design
}pf the rare $40 is similar to the others
tof the same denomination that were
'fssucd by the United States Assay Office
7I<,f California at San Era nriGpn in
&buts th6 date OF 1852 had been cut over
|illlt of 1851.
H In the simmer of 1851 the United States
tsAssay Office steadily turned out $50 pieces,
,,some days producing s1OO. 600 worth Of
he octagonal Jumps OF gold. Many of
.the coins which have been made by the
1privAbe tnints and which were discon-
finued upon the opening of the semi
&pniclal establishment found their way
No Mofat d Co.. were remelted. and soon
,f feappeared as $50 pieces. An urgent
heed was soon felt for coins OF a less de-
hhomination than $50. and Augustus Hum