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Sale 80
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Lot 1653
1853-D. PCGS graded MS-62. A nice untoned coin. Only 6,583 minted. Lustrous light yellow gold with nice select surfaces tending toward somewhat prooflike condition. The quality of this example is exceeded by a few others, if any other survivors from the mintage are available just now, which doesn’t seem likely. Generally well struck with very slight weakness on the highest points of the hair and mostly confined to the rim dentils. The borders are rarely bold and complete on D-mint issues. It appears that three 1853-D reverse dies were supplied to the Dahlonega Mint, but that just one of these was used to produce the recorded mintage. Sufficient obverse dies still remained on hand. In his Encyclopedia Walter Breen comments: "usually poorly struck." The same remark could be repeated throughout the present sale or any other offering of Dahlonega Mint (or Charlotte Mint) issues.
A comment in the section below explains why this Mint may have struck only Gold Dollars, Quarter Eagles, and Half Eagles, but nothing larger in its years in operation, 1838-61. Pop 3; 7 finer, 4 in 63, 3 in 65 (PCGS # 7523) .
Historic note on the Dahlonega Mint: The remote location of this facility caused an array of construction and staffing problems. One would not expect to find skilled workmen and quality building materials in such a backwoods community, but the failure of the mother mint at Philadelphia to foresee and compensate for these problems only aggravated the situation. For example, the problems encountered with the making of brick could have been easily avoided by specifying granite or limestone, which were regional specialties, as just one instance.
Juxtaposed with the rusticity of the community in which it was to operate, the mint was to be supplied with the latest in automated coining equipment. The most revolutionary were two steam presses, invented by Franklin Peale, a mainstay at the Philadelphia Mint, based on his recent observations in Europe, and first incorporated in the primary mint in 1836. The presses were probably the "small" version, rendering them incapable of producing coins larger than a half eagle. The presses, and other associated equipment, were shipped in 15 boxes to Savannah, Georgia, sent upriver to Augusta, then hauled overland by wagon to Dahlonega.
Due to reports of the construction difficulties reaching Philadelphia, the primary mint dispatched its crack troubleshooter, Franklin Peale, who arrived in Dahlonega in November 1837, along with his daughter, after inspecting the Charlotte facility. Close scrutiny of the Dahlonega Mint edifice revealed many problems, the blame for which Peale assigned to "ignorance on the part of the contractor and the drunken and bad habits of the workmen."
Estimated Value $11,000 - 12,000.
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| Realized $11,456 |
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