LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 December Civil War Auction #674  / 

72380

1854-D $5 GOLD HALF EAGLE FROM DAHLONEGA MINT

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:1,600.00 USD Estimated At:1,200.00 - 1,500.00 USD
1854-D $5 GOLD HALF EAGLE FROM DAHLONEGA MINT
<B>1854-D $5 GOLD HALF EAGLE FROM THE DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA MINT.</B></I> The city of Dahlonega, Georgia, in Lumpkin County, was the epicenter of the first U.S. gold rush starting in the late 1820s. Miners poured into the area by the thousands looking to get rich quick. There soon arose a need for a method to convert the gold dust and nuggets into a more spendable medium. Southern congressmen used their political influence to get an act passed in 1835 creating three new mints, all in southern states. One of these was is Dahlonega and it opened for business on February 12, 1838 for the receipt and assay of gold bullion. The first eighty half eagles bearing the early "D" mintmark were minted on April 21, 1838. Before it was captured by the Confederacy in 1861, this mint produced $6.1 million in U.S. gold coinage. <BR><BR>A five-dollar coin was quite valuable for the time and region so many were used for overseas trade. The remaining quantities would have stayed primarily in the area they were minted- the Deep South. This very coin was very likely circulating in the Confederate States of America during the period of the Civil War. Numismatists actively pursue these Dahlonega mint coins both for their history and their beauty. A beautiful example such as this would certainly find a welcome place in any Civil War collection. Original mintage: 56,413. Grade: VF-XF cleaned.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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