Lot 2722
Christopher Bechtler (1837-42) $2.50 CAROLINA, 67 gr. 21 carats. . Breen-7753, K-10. NCS graded AU Details, repaired, improperly cleaned. Well worth our conservative estimate. A rare denomination. Here is an affordable example of this usually expensive coin, the surfaces show moderate circulation ticks visible with a glass, but nothing heavy or deep. Near the devices, the coin retains some of its mint freshness, and appears to be well struck on the lettering and devices.
It is generally accepted that the first recorded discovery of gold by European settlers in America occurred in 1799, in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. According to reports, Conrad Reed, a boy at the time, found a 17-pound nugget in a creek on his father's farm. Incredibly, the family used the huge nugget as a doorstop until 1802, when it was sold to a jeweler for $3.50. Eventually word got out about the true worth of the gold doorstop, initiating the nation's first gold rush.
The Georgia portion of the Appalachian gold belt went unappreciated until Benjamin Parks discovered gold in 1828, in the area near which the town of Dahlonega would be settled. The region produced prodigious amounts of gold ore for those days, creating a need for local mints to refine the metal and turn it into specie. The Bechtlers were the most prolific private coiners. They operated their North Carolina mint from 1830 to 1852.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
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