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Letter from the Dahlonega Mint signed by Superintendent J. M. Patton

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:200.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 800.00 USD
Letter from the Dahlonega Mint signed by Superintendent J. M. Patton
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Dahlonega. US. Branch Mint. 1858-1860. Short letter addressed to Dr. Ira R. Foster. Letter informs Foster that his letter had just been received (7 days after it was written), that the check is enclosed. About the USBR Mine (Briar Patch on the Etowah?) Very few early Georgia mining letters are known in private hands. Signed by superintendent Patton. Patton was the fifth superintendent from 1853 to 1860. He was relieved - not for disciplinary reasons - but for a friend of President Lincoln's.



J. M. Patton as the fifth superintendent of the mint, 1853-1860. Patton was removed from office by the newly elected President Lincoln, who appointed a friend (George Kellogg) in his stead. Written and signed by Patton as Superintendent of the Branch Mint at Dahlonega November 11, 1858 to Ira A. Foster, who had deposited gold with the Mint. Patton noted that he was forwarding a check for the deposit.



US Mint superintendent James Ross Snowden on Patton's forced retirement remarked that he was happy to state that their “official ---, which has existed for more than seven years (the length of Patton’s tenure), was never marred by anything unpleasant or disagreeable, on the contrary, it has been eminently harmonious and satisfactory.”



Patton brought a new level of professionality to the Dahlonega Branch Mint. Patton found that the gold coins issued at the Branch Mint were too high in silver, and had uneven planchet weights. He discovered that the rolls used to make the planchets from the Georgia gold were worn out, and the thickness, and therefore the weight, varied up to 3/16 of an inch, as noted by Head and Etheridge in The Neighborhood Mint. (2000). The high silver also caused the coins to wear far too quickly, which is quite obvious to collectors today. (Al Adams Gold Rush Memorabilia Collection) Date: 1858 Location: Dahlonega, Georgia HWAC# 57072