Austin Rare Coins & Bullion
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Southern Branch U S Mints 
New Orleans U S Mint
With an in-rush of foreign gold and silver into the port of New Orleans, the U S Mint opened another branch mint in Louisiana in 1838. It was closed in 1909, used as an assay office until 1942, and was renovated as museum in 1979.  The New Orleans Mint story is one of our favorites as coins were struck for the United States, the Confederacy, and Mexico.

As gold was later discovered in the Southern States of Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama, branch mints were opened in Charlotte and Dahlonega.  Located in the South before and during the Civil War and had brief histories.

 New Orleans Mint     
The historic Old South, New Orleans Mint first opened before the Civil War in 1838
The Charlotte Mint
Gold mining spread into nearby Carolina counties and southern states. During its peak years, gold mining employment was second only to farming in the South. Over a million dollars a year was mined in gold in the early 1800’s. In fact, North Carolina led the nation in gold production until 1848 when it was eclipsed by the California Gold Rush, therefore needing another U S Mint in the South.		 Charlotte Mint
This short-lived southern branch mint struck only from 1838 to 1861.
The Dahlonega Mint 
In the early 1800’s gold was found in the Southern States. By 1828, gold was found on the Cherokee Indian land near a city known today as Dahlonega, Georgia. A decade later, gold mining was a big business in the area. Mining interests lobbied the U.S. Congress to build a nearby U S mint to cut the costs of moving heavy gold across a mountainous terrain. 		The Dahlonega Mint
Struck only gold coins with the "D" mint mark from 1838 to 1861.