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Carson City Mint History

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Carson City Mint History
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#000000 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#79735c><FONT face=arial color=#ffffff size=3><B>Description</B> </FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff><FONT face=arial size=2><B>1870-CC $20 AU50 NGC.</B></I> Variety 1-A. The 1870-CC double eagle is one of the rarest of all double eagles, and it is by far the rarest Carson City gold coin. Only 3,789 pieces were struck and attrition appears to have taken a very high toll on this issue. Rather than being exported to Europe, as many other Carson City gold coins were, it seems that the entire mintage of the 1870-CC was dropped into circulation in and around Nevada and the American West. As a result, most show heavy abrasions and even heavier wear. Today it is estimated that only 35-45 pieces exist in all grades. In addition to being an absolute rarity, the 1870-CC is also a major condition rarity. The population data from NGC and PCGS indicate that as many as six pieces may exist in AU. However, several of these are likely duplicate submissions, and it is most likely that only 2-3 pieces are actually extant today at this grade level. Eliasberg only had an XF40, and the incredible, specialized gold collection formed by Harry Bass had an XF45 example. Any 1870-CC twenty that grades XF40 or better qualifies as a Condition Census example.<BR>This possible finest-known example came out of a complete collection of CC twenties that was formed by a Western collector three to four decades ago, and has been off the market for at least thirty years. We have been unable to ascertain any previous appearance of this specimen. Nor have we found any auction records of another certified AU example. The published guide prices for this coin in AU are strictly conjecture as it has been decades since an 1870-CC equal to this one has been on the market and freely allowed to seek its own price level.<BR>The 1870-CC twenty is among the most widely acclaimed issues in the entire series of Liberty double eagles. It is surpassed in overall rarity only by the ultra-rare 1861 Paquet, but no double eagle garners more attention than is generated by the appearance of a high-grade '70-CC. It is instructive to contrast its mintage figures to the 7,675 1870-CC half eagles minted (of which perhaps 50-60 pieces survive, 4 in Mint State), and the 1870-CC eagle, with 5,908 minted and an estimated 35-45 pieces known today (none certified in Mint State). All known 1870-CCs display a weaker strike on the obverse, with the stars on the left showing uneven striking pressure due to centering in the collar. This exceptional coin is struck slightly better than most, and is certainly less abraded than any other 1870-CC twenties we have handled or seen, including the Bass coin. A couple of shallow abrasions are located on the obverse, one a diagonal mark along the back of the jawline of Liberty and another in the left field by star 3. A couple of V-shaped marks are also easy pedigree identifiers, both of which are located on the left side of the oval of stars on the reverse. The surfaces are otherwise quite clean for this normally heavily abraded issue, and the fields are bright and semi-reflective.<BR>The appearance of this coin at public auction gives bidders the opportunity to acquire the most famous, most desirable Carson City gold coin that is also at the top of the Condition Census.<BR><B>Carson City Mint History</B></I><BR>The state of Nevada was once part of the Utah Territory, and known as Carson County. The first settlers arrived in Eagle Valley in 1851, establishing a trading post for the great 'gold' migrations to California. Most of the settlers returned to Salt Lake City with the ebbing of the California Gold Rush, and an empty Eagle Valley was ultimately purchased for $500 and some horses by New Yorker Abraham Curry and friends. Curry founded Carson City (named after the trailblazer Kit Carson) in 1858, but his wildest dreams of building a city could never have envisioned the growth that would follow the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode. The Comstock was probably the richest deposit of silver ore ever found.<BR>At first, the silver ore (and smaller quantities of gold) was shipped over the Sierra Nevada Range to the San Francisco Mint, at great expense. Mine operators lobbied Congress for a branch mint in Nevada itself, after being rejected by Mint Director James Pollock. The Nevada Mint Bill was passed by both the House and the Senate on March 3, 1863, but didn't stipulate a location for the new mint. Colorado Congressman H. P. Bennett, authorized to find a suitable location, was successfully lobbied by Abe Curry to select the Territorial capital Carson City, centrally located to all of the mines. A lot was purchased in February of 1865, and a commission (including Curry) was appointed to oversee the building project. Due to continuing opposition by the Treasury Department, it was July 1866 before plans and authorizing documents arrived in Carson City. The cornerstone was laid September 24, 1866. Curry was named as the contractor, but it became evident that the $150,000 appropriated was insufficient due to the costs of transporting materials to Carson City. Curry spent much of 1868 in Washington and Philadelphia trying to procure additional funds.<BR>Machinery for the Carson City Mint--exceedingly heavy coin presses, blanking presses, and rolling mills--were shipped by sea around the Horn, most of it arriving in late 1868. Curry became the first Superintendent of the Carson City Mint, and began testing his equipment during 1869, but waited impatiently for the arrival of dies from Philadelphia. Tests of the machinery were conducted at various times during 1869, but the dies didn't arrive from Philadelphia until January 10, 1870. The first coins struck were Liberty Seated silver dollars, on February 11, 1870, followed shortly thereafter by gold eagles. The first double eagles were struck on March 10. Curry resigned as Superintendent in September to run for lieutenant governor. Mintages during these early years of the Carson City Mint were lower than anticipated, because many mine owners still preferred to use the San Francisco Mint or to keep their output in ingot form. Production from the Nevada mines fell during the early 1890s, and on June 1, 1893, Mint Director Preston ceased coining operations. The facility served occasionally as an Assay Office, and in 1941 it became the home of the Nevada State Museum.<BR>The original Coin Press No. 1 is currently located in the Old Mint Building portion of the Nevada State Museum. Built in 1869 by Morgan & Orr of Philadelphia, it weighs 12,000 pounds and in 1879 was capable of producing 1,500 coins per hour. It is believed this same press was used to mint the 1870-CC double eagles as well. After the Carson City Mint closed in 1893, Coin Press #1 journeyed to the Philadelphia Mint, then in 1945 to San Francisco, back to Carson City in 1958, to the Denver Mint in 1964, and finally home again to the Carson City museum in 1967. </FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><A name=PricesRealized></A><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#000000 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#79735c><A name=PR><FONT face=arial color=#ffffff size=3><B>Previous Prices from Heritage Auctions</B> </FONT></A></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#f6f6ed>No Prior Data Recorded </TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff><FONT face=arial size=1 ?>PLEASE NOTE: All prices realized reflect the final hammer price PLUS the buyer's premium in auctions that charge a buyer's premium. Each item has a notation at the top of the listing indicating whether that lot included a buyer's premium. Example: A item that sells with a final hammer price of $100 and a 20% buyer's premium will display with a price realized of $120. All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. Please use this guide carefully and inform us of any inaccuracies. </FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#000000 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#79735c colSpan=6><FONT face=arial color=#ffffff size=3><B>Price Guide*</B> </FONT></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f6f6ed><TD align=middle><B>Grade</B> </TD><TD align=middle><B>Coin World<BR>(Trends)</B> </TD><TD align=middle><B>Numismedia<BR>Retail</B> </TD><TD align=middle><B>Numismedia<BR>Wholesale</B> </TD><TD align=middle><B>Coin<BR>Universe</B> </TD><TD align=middle><B>Heritage<BR>Value Index</B> </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD align=middle>45</TD><TD align=right>$150,000.00</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>$99,750.00</TD></TR><TR style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" bgColor=#cccfdd><TD align=middle>50</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>$112,500.00</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD align=middle>53</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>---</TD><TD align=right>$126,000.00</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD colSpan=6><FONT size=1>*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information which is provided as a service to our customers. You should contact each pricing source directly to determine the accuracy of this information. </FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#000000 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%" bgColor=#79735c><FONT face=arial color=#ffffff size=3><B>Population Guide</B> </FONT></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffffff><TD align=middle><!-- Begin Output of Population Grid--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center><TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" border=1 cellsadding="3"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center align=middle bgColor=#f0f1e8 colSpan=2 <CENTER><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>PCGS Pop </B></FONT><CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD vAlign=center align=middle bgColor=#f0f1e8 colSpan=2><CENTER><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>NGC Pop</B></CENTER></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center><FONT face=Arial size=2>(50)</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center align=right><FONT face=Arial size=2>4</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center><FONT face=Arial size=2>(50)</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center align=right><FONT face=Arial size=2>2</FONT> </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center><FONT face=Arial size=2>(&gt;50)</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center align=right><FONT face=Arial size=2>0</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center><FONT face=Arial size=2>(&gt;50)</FONT> </TD><TD vAlign=center align=right><FONT face=Arial size=2>207</FONT> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- End Output of Population Grid--> Important notice: Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>