US minted coins

[sushidingo]

So i was wondering what the most saught after us mints were. The coins and the mints they came from. Top 5 mints or more would.br great. Thanks.

 

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[Mackaydon]

A few come to mind, but good luck in finding any coins today with these US mint marks:
Carson City, Nevada; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dahlonega, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana.
Don....

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Dont forget the M for the Manila mint, and W for West Point. Probably have better luck finding a C mint than a W.
CC and O minted coins are still found pretty regularly.

 

[sushidingo]

I was just at the carson city mint. I was wondering if san Francisco minted anything.

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

I was just at the carson city mint. I was wondering if san Francisco minted anything.

Yes, coins with the "S" on them.

 

[sushidingo]

Yes, coins with the "S" on them.

Are those super rare?

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Are those super rare?

Not at all. They still make them.

 

[sushidingo]

Not at all. They still make them.

Oh ok. I heard there was a place in rutherfordtown North Carolina that made their own currency. Was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it or even found any of their coins.

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Oh ok. I heard there was a place in rutherfordtown North Carolina that made their own currency. Was wondering if anyone has ever heard of it or even found any of their coins.

That was a private mint. Heres an article about it.
http://blueridgeheritagetrail.com/explore-a-trail-of-heritage-treasures/bechtler-mint/

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

As I think about your question, guessing I should add that there were many private coin makers during the country's history. As the one you asked about, many were because of the many gold finds as our country expanded. There was a need to mint coins locally due to the large amounts of raw gold, lack of US coinage locally, and distance to a US mint creating difficulty with transport.
A great example was the California gold rush. People came to California in hopes of striking it rich, but they came with little or no money. That made it difficult to transact business with little money in circulation. Raw gold as nuggets or flakes were commonly used at the start, but some enterprising individuals started making their own gold coins to make life easier. At first, it was pretty accurate. But as time went on, less honorable people started making coins light, or with little actual gold in them making their worth far less than face value. This was one of the major reasons the US passed the coinage act outlawing private minting of currency.
I've included a couple photos of the California gold privately minted coins I have in my collection. As you can see from the first photo, they are tiny as seen next to a penny.

 

[sushidingo]

As I think about your question, guessing I should add that there were many private coin makers during the country's history. As the one you asked about, many were because of the many gold finds as our country expanded. There was a need to mint coins locally due to the large amounts of raw gold, lack of US coinage locally, and distance to a US mint creating difficulty with transport.
A great example was the California gold rush. People came to California in hopes of striking it rich, but they came with little or no money. That made it different to transact business with little money in circulation. Raw gold as nuggets or flakes were commonly used at the start, but some enterprising individuals started making their own gold coins to make life easier. At first, it was pretty accurate. But as time went on, less honorable people started making coins light, or with little actual gold in them making their worth far less than face value. This was one of the major reasons the US passed the coinage act outlawing private minting of currency.
I've included a couple photos of the California gold privately minted coins I have in my collection. As you can see from the first photo, they are tiny as seen next to a penny.View attachment 1797463View attachment 1797464View attachment 1797465View attachment 1797466View attachment 1797467View attachment 1797468

Thank you. This was an answer i was looking for. Very helpful.

 

[Digger_O'Dell]

Thank you. This was an answer i was looking for. Very helpful.

You are very welcome!

One oddity to note here. Even though these privately minted coins tend to be fairly well documented, few people seem to know of them. Because of this their values tend to be very low compared to their rarity factor versus similarity rare US minted coins.
Great example is the half dollar I have pictured above. If I remember correctly, theres less than a dozen known to exist, and I believe 3 documented to be in uncirculated condition. I have the 4th, and it appears to be in even better condition than the current best known (MS63). A US coin of this rarity could be valued at high 6 to low 7 figures. This particular coin, maybe a few hundred dollars only.
Just goes to show rarity doesn't always mean much if theres no demand for it.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Some of the most valuable coins have no mint mark at all. Anything minted in the US in the 18th century is a good coin.

A St. Gaudens $20 with no mint mark is a nice find. Especially 1921 or 1933.

 

[Trezurehunter]

I like the CC Mint Mark coins.