Lot 2117
1855-C. NGC graded AU-58. Mostly untoned. Only 9,803 minted. Original gold luster with light planchet roughness, strictly as minted. A few very minor abrasions and hairlines are noted. Typical uneven strike for the issue although most of the main legends and date are clear. This is an exceptional higher grade example. Very few from the original mintage grade better than Extremely Fine. In other words, any strictly Extremely Fine or better example is a legitimate rarity.
Three pairs of dies were shipped from Philadelphia, including obverses, as the earlier Liberty head styles last used in 1854 were no longer available. Apparently, two obverse dies were employed and but a single reverse, that having the mintmark in a very small letter.
The prime focal points in the gold dollar series are the issues struck at the branch mints in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dahlonega, Georgia. In the present era, coins from these mints are presented rarely.
The Charlotte Mint was authorized by Congress in 1835, and had certain operations underway in 1837, although the opening did not occur until 1838. Gold denominations eventually coined there included $1 (beginning in 1849), $2.50, and $5.
A good deal of the gold deposited at the mint came from the hills of North Carolina, long a source for gold bullion from the 1820s to the 1860s. Deposits were found in streams, embankments, and in tunneled mines. In the early years, quantities of the precious metal were shipped to the only federal mint then in operation, that at Philadelphia, a journey involving loss of time and exposure to danger. A miner or mining operator desiring to send gold to Philadelphia for coinage had to wait multiple weeks before it was returned in coin form. Once the Charlotte mint opened for business in 1838, production increased rapidly. Pop 33; 15 finer, 3 in 60, 8 in 61, 4 in 62 (PCGS # 7533) Estimated Value $14,000 - 15,000
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