Carson City Mint

U.S. Mint
Carson City Mint at night
Location600 N. Carson St.
Carson City, Nevada
Coordinates39°10′03″N 119°46′02″W / 39.16750°N 119.76722°W / 39.16750; -119.76722
ArchitectAlfred Bult Mullett
NRHP reference No.75002127
 No.196
Added to NRHPSeptember 5, 1975

The Carson City Mint was a branch of the United States Mint in Carson City, Nevada. It primarily minted silver coins; however, it also minted gold coins, with a total face value in dollars nearly equal to that of its silver coins. Built at the peak of the Comstock Lode silver boom conveniently near silver mines, 50 issues of silver coins and 57 issues of gold coins minted here between 1870 and 1893 bore the "CC" mint mark. The facility minted coins in 21 (non-consecutive) years.

The Carson City Mint was created in 1863 but was not put into operation until 1870. It ran until 1885, went on a hiatus, and resumed operations in 1889, after which it ran until 1893, when it closed permanently. Since 1941, the building has housed the Nevada State Museum, Carson City. Coins struck here, especially Morgan dollars, are generally rare and command a high premium among collectors.

History

Carson City Mint, 1866

The American Civil War had reduced the federal government's mintage capacity, and new facilities were needed to replace those lost in the south. The mint was established in Carson City to facilitate the manufacture of silver coins from silver in the Comstock Lode, much as the San Francisco Mint was established to facilitate minting gold coins from the gold of the California gold rush. Production commenced on February 4, 1870, with Seated Liberty dollars being the first issue struck at the facility. Low output meant early "CC" coins had limited reach beyond the local area, though large quantities of double eagles were exported abroad as payments after 1873.

Mint operations were suspended on September 11, 1885 amid the anti-silver stance of the Grover Cleveland administration. Mintage costs had risen considerably by then. Further, most Comstock silver and gold had been sent directly to San Francisco, as shippers demanded higher rates for both delivery to Carson City as well as outbound shipping of minted coins. Coinage resumed in September 1889.

The "CC" mint mark on the reverse (tails) of a Seated Liberty quarter minted at Carson City

At its peak, the mint employed 75 people. Over its operational life, the mint produced over $50 million in gold and silver coinage, the final strikes taking place before June 1893. Minting operations ceased amid a series of scandals allegedly involving mint employees and locals stealing bullion (and some allegations would be proven true in court a few years later). Despite the original intent, most Comstock silver bypassed Carson City and was shipped to San Francisco for processing there. After 1893, the building served as a bullion depository. It was further designated a U.S. Assay Office in 1899. The Mint is mostly known for its coins, however the quantity of silver bullion paid out in ingots far outweighed the amount of coinage it ever produced. The federal government sold the building to the state of Nevada in 1939.

1873-CC Without Arrows Dime PCGS-MS-65 Rarest CC Coin. Only one specimen is known to exist
1873-CC Without Arrows Dime PCGS MS-65 — The rarest CC coin with only one known example. It sold in 2012 for $1.84 million.

The building has served as home of the Nevada State Museum since 1941. Although the mint has not struck United States coins since 1893, Coin Press No. 1 (the original coin press from the mint) is still in the building and used to strike commemorative medallions with the "CC" mint mark. The Museum contains displays about mint operations as well as the coin collections of Norman H. Biltz. Amid the coin shortages of the mid 1960s, Mint resources were so stretched that an exhibit at the Museum, a c. 1870s flywheel coin press, was shipped to Denver and refurbished to once again produce coins.

Proposed commemorative coin production

On July 16, 2019, a bill was introduced proposing to strike commemorative Morgan and Peace dollars on the premises of the Nevada State Museum in 2021. If it had passed, the coins would have featured the "CC" mint mark, becoming the first legal tender coins to do so in 128 years. Aside from adding a new date to both the Morgan and Peace dollar series, it would have been the first time the Peace dollar was struck with the mint mark.

The bill received support from many coin collectors, with the American Numismatic Association encouraging collectors to express their support. However, some collectors voiced their concerns about the mintage limit of 500,000 pieces.

Though 2021 Morgan commemorative dollars were struck with a "CC" privy mark, they were not struck at the former Carson City Mint.

Design and architecture

The Nevada State Museum in 1991

The building that housed the mint was the first designed by Alfred B. Mullett after becoming Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury. The construction supervisor was Abraham Curry, also known as the "Father of Carson City." Curry served as the first superintendent of the mint until 1870 when fellow commissioner Harry Rice assumed the office. The simple Renaissance Revival-style stone facade has pairs of round-headed windows and a center portico.

Denominations minted

Silver denominations

Coin type Series Years minted Image Notes
Dimes Seated Liberty 1871–1878 Arrows appear on dimes minted in 1873 and 1874. A single 1873-CC dime without arrows is known.
Twenty-cent pieces Seated Liberty 1875–1876 Proposed by Nevada Senator John P. Jones, it proved a failure due to confusion with the quarter. Fewer than two dozen 1876-CC examples are known; one sold at auction for $870,000 in 2022.
Quarters Seated Liberty 1870–1878 Arrows appear on quarters minted in 1873 and 1874. While 4,000 were minted, there are only six known examples of the 1873-CC quarter without arrows.
Half dollars Seated Liberty 1870–1878 Arrows appear on half dollars minted in 1873 and 1874.
Dollars Seated Liberty 1870–1873 Dollars were the first coins struck at Carson City on February 4, 1870.
Trade dollar 1873–1878
Morgan dollar 1878–1885; 1889–1893

Gold denominations

Coin type Series Years minted Image Notes
Half eagle ($5) Liberty Head 1870–1884; 1890–1893
Eagle ($10) Liberty Head 1870–1884; 1890–1893
Double eagle ($20) Liberty Head 1870–1879; 1882–1885; 1889–1893 Type II minted until 1877; after 1877, Type III.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Dollars and double eagles at Carson City were coined at a cost of 7.28¢ (equivalent to $2.61 in 2025 adjusted for inflation) per piece, compared to 1.49¢ (equivalent to $0.53 in 2025 adjusted for inflation) at the New Orleans Mint that year.
  2. ↑ equivalent to $2.02 million in 2025 adjusted for inflation
  3. ↑ equivalent to $957,158 in 2025 adjusted for inflation

References

  1. ↑ Mires 2018, p. 56.
  2. 1 2 Egleston, T. (1886). Treating Gold and Silver at the United States Mint. London: Engineering.
  3. ↑ "The Carson City Mint". Evening Courier and Republic. Buffalo, New York. February 7, 1870. p. 4. Retrieved August 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Bowers 2004, pp. 35, 120.
  5. ↑ Hickson 1972, pp. 53, 55, 58.
  6. 1 2 3 4 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Bowers 2004, pp. 35–36.
  8. ↑ Hickson 1972, p. 60–61.
  9. 1 2 Mires 2018, p. 58.
  10. 1 2 Lange 2006, p. 113.
  11. ↑ Hickson 1972, p. 51.
  12. ↑ Bowers 1979, p. 217.
  13. ↑ Hickson 1972, p. 75.
  14. ↑ Lange 2006, p. 111.
  15. ↑ Yeoman 2014, p. 153.
  16. 1 2 Mires 2018, p. 55.
  17. ↑ Lange 2006, p. 105.
  18. ↑ Cleaver, Emanuel (July 15, 2019). "H.R.3757 – 116th Congress (2019–2020): 1921 Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin Act". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Commem legislation seeks Morgan dollar struck at Carson City". CoinWorld. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ "ANA rallies collectors to urge congressional support for Morgan and Peace dollars bill". CoinWorld. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  21. ↑ "H. F. Rice". Carson City Coin Collectors of America. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  22. ↑ Yeoman 2014, pp. 153–154.
  23. ↑ Breen 1988, pp. 334–335.
  24. ↑ "1876-CC 20C (Regular Strike)". Professional Coin Grading Service. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  25. ↑ Yeoman 2014, p. 170.
  26. ↑ Yeoman 2014, p. 169.
  27. ↑ Yeoman 2014, p. 205.
  28. ↑ Goe 2020[page needed]

Bibliography