I’ve been saving for a while to get an example of the first US gold rush coinage. These excerpts from the UNC collection website summarize the info better than I could. Christopher Bechtler gold half-eagle $5, 1831 Gold Hill, Gold Pit Creek, Golden Valley, Gold Mine Branch—these and other similar names can be found today on modern maps of North Carolina. They are names that recall an important part of this state’s past, a time when the ring of picks and the rumble of explosives echoed throughout the foothills of western North Carolina. There, decades before the more famous gold strike in California in 1848, prospectors and miners panned, dug, and blasted millions of dollars in gold from the rocky terrain. During the peak years of gold production in North Carolina, between the late 1820s and 1830s, the state’s mining industry employed over 30,000 people and ranked second only to agriculture in its importance to the economy. Bechtler $1 gold coin, 1830s Gold nuggets and dust direct from the mine were not easy to use in commerce since weight and purity would need to be assessed. Mints do this when they produce coins, but the nearest federal mint was in Philadelphia, a long and dangerous journey from the gold fields of North Carolina. The Bechtlers, who established a reputation for producing honest coins, gave miners a local alternative. Even after a federal mint was opened in Charlotte, producing its first coins in 1838, the Bechtler mint continued into the 1850s. Even with a decent budget, I still made a little compromise to balance availability, cost and eye appeal. I saw 10 examples at the show yesterday which is actually a lot. 2 very high end dealers each had 4 examples. Of those, there were 2 MS pieces which cost about double what I spent. This is what I bought.
This was from the Raleigh show, right? I believe I saw that display of Bechtler gold. One of the ones where I feel nervous looking at it for too long because it's so far out of my league. I actually stumbled across the UNC collection display after showing up for a lecture (unrelated) that got canceled. Step into a little alcove, and there's a MASSIVE display of Bechtler and Charlotte gold, right there in front of me. (Behind glass, of course.)
It was the Raleigh show but I think you’re thinking of the dealer on the center aisle. I got mine from the guy who had the Humbert $50 and the other SS Republic gold.
I think I've got a Bechtler Dollar coming up in a collection I offered on and the seller recently accepted. If my recall is good, it is a very original problem-free coin.
Here is my only piece. I have always been drawn to gold dollars and wanted to have an example of the first one.
Beautiful and I would expect nothing less from you. I think I’d like another Bechtler but not sure what flavor.
