How to Collect New Orleans Mint Gold Coins
Inside This Report
 First Branch U.S. Mint in New Orleans
Coins Distinguished by Famous "O" Mint Mark
Highly Undervalued in Today's Market
We'll share with you the seldom seen, historic U.S. gold coins from the New Orleans Mint. If you love America's proud frontier history, you'll find collecting coins from the Wild West Days to be most enjoyable, as well as financially rewarding.
The First U.S. Mint Opens in 1795
In 1795, the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia first minted gold coins to establish a sound, uniform currency. In 1803 when Napoleon sold the "Louisiana Purchase" for $15 million, he demanded payment in U.S. gold coinage. By 1812, Louisiana was admitted to the Union as a slave state and Robert Fulton's steam-powered riverboat made the first successful trip down the Mississippi.
America's First Gold Rush Was In the Early 1800's
The opening of the Southern frontier had a lot to do with America's early 1800's gold rush where large deposits of gold were found from South and North Carolina into Georgia. In those days, raw gold had to be transported a dangerous month's journey back to the Philadelphia Mint to be assayed and converted to gold coins.
The Southern frontier had few roads and many rivers to cross. Along the way Indians, bandits, and highway robbers were eager to steal the gold.
 The New Orleans Mint Opens in 1838
Mining interests had lobbied Congress for Southern Branch Mints for years. In 1838, the first branch office of the U.S. Mint opened in New Orleans.
To distinguish coins struck at the "mother mint" in Philadelphia from New Orleans Mint issues, every coin carried a distinctive "O" mint mark shown at left.
The 1830's were the Wild West Frontier Days, when the U.S. population was less than 17 million. Most people lived East of the Mississippi. Cotton was king in the South and the first wagon train had not yet crossed the Rockies over the Oregon Trail.
It was in this time, before the Civil War, that the New Orleans Mint began to mint gold coins. From 1838 to 1861, gold coins were issued in extremely limited quantities. In the midst of the Civil War, the Southern Confederates took over the mint in New Orleans and no coins were minted from 1862 until 1879.
New Orleans Mint Reopened in 1879, Long After Civil War
When the New Orleans Mint finally reopened, the famous "O" mint mark appeared again on official U.S. gold coins from 1879 to 1909. Again, for most years mintages were extremely low. During this time period there was little interest in saving coins, so most went into circulation where they were quickly worn down.
Today, New Orleans gold of all dates are still considered to be scarce to very rare. Keep in mind that after the Civil War the $10 Liberty Head gold piece was struck only for 16 years. The $5 Gold coins were issued for only 4 years. What's even more amazing is that the $20 Liberty was struck for one year only in 1879!
During this same era gold coins were minted by the millions in Philadelphia and San Francisco and stored in vaults. However, New Orleans gold coins were almost immediately released to banks, merchants, and the general public and were worn in circulation. All of these factors combine to make the number of surviving examples of many dates to be very hard to find in the higher graders.
We've Search Out Value For You
Our Austin Buying Trust has tracked New Orleans Mint gold for over 20 years. We find that some of the most interesting pieces are the classic $10 Liberty gold pieces that are "About Uncirculated." This grade means the coin will show slight signs of wear, but still look good, are quite affordably priced, and still quite scarce.
These are gold coins from the Western Frontier Days. In fact, they may have been in the pockets of river boat gamblers on a paddle wheel ride up the Mississippi of the late 1800's.
As authentic pieces of American frontier history, they date back to when Jesse James and Wild West outlaws were robbing banks and holding up trains to get to these gold treasures.
Why Rare Coin Experts Love New Orleans Gold
A noted authority and popular coin author Q. David Bowers wrote the following when describing New Orleans Gold from the famous Eliasberg Collection sales catalogue:
"In general, collectors have paid much attention to the gold from the Charlotte and Dahlonega Mints. Overlooked to a degree have been pieces from New Orleans... Pieces with "O" Mint Marks were used intensely in circulation or were often exported... It may just be the case that in some future year a number of these issues will sell for more than Charlotte or Dahlonega coins, or at least be prices on a comparable basis. They deserve it."
Our Austin Buying Trust concurs with that statement completely. There's plenty of upside potential for the rarest New Orleans dates as well as pieces preserved in About Uncirculated condition. We've felt for years that this area of the rare coin market would be quite strong in the next bull market for U.S. coins.
We highly recommend them to anyone who loves history, the Wild West Frontier Days of America, and especially for anyone looking at building both an interesting collection and one with an excellent upside profit potential.
Call Our Austin Staff of Rare Coin Specialists
In a highly specialized area, you typically call in an expert. Our staff of Rare Coin Specialists at Austin Rare Coins are highly trained in the area of Southern Mint Gold.
Some members of our Buying Trust are known throughout the industry as top experts in the field. That's why we're here to serve you as advisors on rarity, quality, and collector value. Putting together a nice group of New Orleans Mint Gold is certainly worth the extra time and effort. We'd love to help you get started or finding missing dates for your collection.
Our Rare Coin Specialists will be glad to help you with any questions you have about New Orleans Mint coins. Call us at 1-800-928-6468 seven days a week.
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Official U.S. Mint - Actual Mintage Figures
Gold Coin Production Pre-Civil War Issues
| Date |
$1.00 |
$2.50 |
$3.00 |
$5.00 |
$10.00 |
$20.00 |
| 1839 |
|
17,781 |
|
|
|
|
| 1840 |
|
33,580 |
|
40,120 |
|
|
| 1841 |
|
|
|
50 |
2,500 |
|
| 1842 |
|
19,800 |
|
16,400 |
27,400 |
|
| 1843 |
|
364,002 |
|
101,075 |
175,162 |
|
| 1844 |
|
|
|
364,600 |
118,700 |
|
| 1845 |
|
4,000 |
|
41,000 |
47,500 |
|
| 1846 |
|
62,000 |
|
58,000 |
81,780 |
|
| 1847 |
|
124,000 |
|
12,000 |
571,500 |
|
| 1848 |
|
|
|
|
35,850 |
|
| 1849 |
215,000 |
|
|
|
23,900 |
|
| 1850 |
14,000 |
84,000 |
|
|
57,500 |
141,000 |
| 1851 |
290,000 |
148,000 |
|
41,000 |
263,000 |
315,000 |
| 1852 |
140,000 |
140,000 |
|
|
18,000 |
190,000 |
| 1853 |
290,000 |
|
|
|
51,000 |
71,000 |
| 1854 |
|
153,000 |
24,000 |
46,000 |
52,500 |
3,250 |
| 1855 |
55,000 |
|
|
11,100 |
18,000 |
8,000 |
| 1856 |
|
21,100 |
|
10,000 |
14,500 |
2,250 |
| 1857 |
|
34,000 |
|
13,000 |
5,500 |
30,000 |
| 1858 |
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
35,250 |
| 1859 |
|
|
|
|
2,300 |
9,100 |
| 1860 |
|
|
|
|
11,100 |
6,600 |
| 1861 |
|
|
|
|
|
17,741 |
New Orleans Mint Gold Production
Post Civil War Years 1879 - 1909
| Date |
$1.00 |
$2.50 |
$3.00 |
$5.00 |
$10.00 |
$20.00 |
| 1879 |
|
|
|
|
1,500 |
2,325 |
| 1880 |
|
|
|
|
9,200 |
|
| 1881 |
|
|
|
|
8,350 |
|
| 1882 |
|
|
|
|
10,820 |
|
| 1883 |
|
|
|
|
800 |
|
| 1884 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1885 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1886 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1887 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1888 |
|
|
|
|
21,335 |
|
| 1889 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1890 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1891 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1892 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
28,688 |
|
| 1893 |
|
|
|
110,000 |
17,000 |
|
| 1894 |
|
|
|
16,600 |
107,500 |
|
| 1895 |
|
|
|
|
98,000 |
|
| 1896 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1897 |
|
|
|
|
42,500 |
|
| 1898 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1899 |
|
|
|
|
37,047 |
|
| 1900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1901 |
|
|
|
|
72,041 |
|
| 1902 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1903 |
|
|
|
|
112,771 |
|
| 1904 |
|
|
|
|
108,950 |
|
| 1905 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1906 |
|
|
|
|
86,895 |
|
| 1907 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1908 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1909 |
|
|
|
34,200 |
|
|
|