Dahlonega Mint

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Students at North Georgia College practice military drill in front of the former Dahlonega Mint in 1877 or 1878. The college used the building from 1873 until it burned down in 1878.

Coordinates: 34°31′48″N 83°59′14″W / 34.5299°N 83.9871°W / 34.5299; -83.9871The Dahlonega Mint was a former branch of the United States Mint. It was located at 34°31.8′N 83°59.2′W () at Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia. Coins produced at the Dahlonega Mint bear the "D" mint mark. That mint mark is used today by the Denver Mint, which opened many years after the Dahlonega Mint closed. All coins from the Dahlonega Mint are gold and bear the dates 1838–1861.

Creation

The Dahlonega Mint was chartered by the United States Congress and erected in 1837, in the mining town of Dahlonega, Georgia, during the first North American gold rush known as the Georgia Gold Rush. The purpose of the Mint was to tap the newly discovered source of gold for coins and to provide a place for miners to have their gold assayed and sold.

Production

The first coins produced at the mint were gold $ 5.00 half eagles in April 1838. The mint produced coins every year from 1838 through 1861. Denominations produced included $ 1.00; $ 2.50 (quarter eagles); $ 3.00 (1854 only); and $ 5.00 (half eagles).

The Civil War

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the Dahlonega Mint was seized by the Confederates. It is believed that after the Confederates took over the mint in 1861, that some gold dollars and half eagles were minted under the authority of the Confederate States Government. The exact number of 1861 D Gold dollars produced is unknown, while approximately 1,597 1861 D half eagles were struck. Because of their relatively low mintage, all Dahlonega-minted gold coins are rare. It is generally accepted that Gold coins estimated to exceed $6 million were minted here.

Post Civil War

After the end of the Civil War, The United States Government decided against reopening the mint for its purposes. The building was unused until the founding of North Georgia College in 1873. The mint building was used as the main academic and administrative building for the college until a fire destroyed the original building in December 1878. A new building for the college was erected on the foundations of the old mint building. This building is now named Price Memorial Hall after William P. Price the founder of the college and is still used by the college today.

Gold leaf from this area also covers the exterior of the domed roof over the rotunda of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Local media often refer to the state legislature's activities as what's going on "under the gold dome". After the capitol building was gold leafed citizens of Dahlonega began a campaign to gold leaf Price Memorial Hall after the same fashion as the capitol.

For other United States Mint facilities, see Historical United States Mints.

Gold dome

The gold dome of the Price Memorial building was completed in the early 1970s by a roofer named Doug Quinn, from Boston, Mass., who stayed at the local Cherokee Motel and Restaurant during construction. ^{[citation needed]}

Superintendents

Six men acted as Superintendent of the Dahlonega Mint.^[1]

Joseph Singleton, 1838–1841
Paul Rossignol, 1841–1843
James Fairlie Cooper, 1843–1849
Anderson Redding, 1849–1853
Julius Patton, 1853–1860
George Kellogg, 1860–1861

References

↑ Lester, Carl N. "An Illustrated History of the Georgia Gold Rush and the United States Branch Mint at Dahlonega, Georgia". Gold Rush Gallery Inc. Retrieved January 2, 2014.