Carson City Mint – Nevada State Historic Marker

The United States Mint at Carson City, Nevada is Nevada Sate Historic Marker Number 196 and located in Carson City, Nevada.

The original Carson City building is a formal balanced, sandstone block edifice, two stories high with a centrally located, cupola. The sandstone blocks were quarried from the Nevada State prison.

On March 3, 1862, Congress passed a bill authorizing the establishment a branch of the United States mint in the Territory of Nevada. The output of the Comstock Lode Silver strike, coupled with the high bullion transportation costs to San Francisco, necessitated the action.

From its opening of the U. S. Mint in Carson City, in 1870 to the closing of the coin operations in 1893, the minted coinage amounted to $49,274,434.30. Most of the Carson City coins are scarce to rare, some of them being tremendous rarities. Others, such as the silver dollars of 1882-84, have survived in vast numbers for reasons that have nothing to do with their original mintage figures. All of these coins, whatever their rarity or market value, carry romantic associations with the Old West and the great bonanza years of the late 19th Century

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost of damaged.

Nevada State Historic Marker Text

The original Carson City building is a formal balanced, sandstone block edifice.  Two stories high with a centrally located cupola.  The sandstone blocks were quarried at the Nevada State Prison.

On March 3, 1862, Congress passed a bill establishing a branch mint in the Territory of Nevada.

The output of the Comstock Lode coupled with the high bullion transportation costs to San Francisco proved the necessity of a branch in Nevada.

From its opening in 1870 to the closing of the coin operations in 1893, coinage amounted to $49,274,434.30.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 196
NEVADA STATE PARK SYSTEM
NEVADA LANDMARKS SOCIETY

Nevada State Historic Marker Summary

NameThe United States Mint at Carson City
LocationCarson City, Nevada
Nevada State Historic Marker Number196
Latitude, Longitude39.1673, -119.7670

Nevada State Historic Marker Location

The Nevada State Historic Marker is in Carson City, Nevada. The marker is located on North Carson Street (U.S. 395), on the west side of the highway. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 North Carson Street, Carson City NV 89701, United States of America

References

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