Offered is a lovely AU example from the fourth year of double eagle coinage at the Carson City Mint. According to Rusty Goe in his cataloging for our August 2012 sale of The Battle Born Collection of Carson City Mint Coinage:"The annual yield of bullion from Nevada s Comstock Lode had more than doubled in 1873 from what the mining companies had produced in 1870. Despite the manifest quantum leap in local mineral production, the Carson City Mint s execution of coinage and bars in January 1873 failed to meet expectations."The amount of gold the miners, located less than 15 miles away, chose to deposit at their state s mint in 1873 didn t seem to influence the quantity of coins made in that metal. Mintages of all three denominations [half eagle, eagle, double eagle] saw significant to modest declines from the previous year s emissions especially in the double eagles and half eagles. This did not happen at the Philadelphia and San Francisco mints that year (except for eagles), where double eagle production really spiked, especially in Philadelphia."Goe touches upon one of the primary challenges that would plague the Carson City Mint and limit yearly coinage throughout its short existence. Namely, that the proximity of the Carson City Mint to the rich mines of the Comstock Lode in no way guaranteed sizeable mintages of gold (or silver, for that matter) coins by that facility. Writing in the 2004 reference A Guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins , Q. David Bowers excerpts from two filings of the Annual Report of the Director of the Mint to illustrate why Carson City was "the mint without honor in its own state." The first excerpt comes from the director s report of 1879:"Notwithstanding the fact that the Mint at Carson City is located but a short distance from the productive mines of the Comstock Lode, higher prices were demanded for bullion deliverable at Carson City than at San Francisco, and, in addition, the rates charged by the express company for transportation of silver dollars [and other coins] were higher at Carson than for San Francisco."And from the director s report of 1887:"It will be shown that the mint at Carson has at no period of its history received considerable deposits from the mines of the Comstock Lode, their product having continued to be sent to San Francisco for coinage, the same as before the establishment of that mint."It will appear, indeed, that very important considerations, now affected by the cost of transportation of bullion, specie, and currency to and from Carson, are most unfavorable to the operations of coinage at the mint, and even to the minor operations of an assay office now carried on that institution."The Mint at Carson was opened for business January 8, 1870. Carson is on the line of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, 34 miles from Reno, on the Central Pacific Railroad, and 300 from San Francisco, and some 14 miles from Virginia City -- the location of the great mines of the Comstock Lode. Its population as given by census for 1880 was then 4,229."Substantially the whole product of these mines, instead of being transported south this short distance to Carson for parting and refining and coinage....has always been shipped directly to San Francisco for parting and refining, for coinage of all gold, and for as much of the silver as required...."Notwithstanding the fact that the mint at Carson City is located but a short distance from the productive mines of the Comstock [L]ode, higher prices were demanded for bullion deliverable at Carson than at San Francisco, and, in addition, the rates charged by the express company for transportation of silver dollars were higher from Carson that from San Francisco...."The cost per piece of coinage at the mint at Carson when mainly occupied with double eagles and silver dollars was 7.28 cents in 1884 and 9.13 cents in 1885, against 1.55 in 1884 and 1.49 in 1885 at the mint at New Orleans -- the two mints being occupied with about the same class of coinage."Political problems and the unpopularity of the Carson City Mint s management also contributed to much of the Comstock Lode s gold bullion being routed to distant San Francisco. For example, Superintendent H.F. Rice, who took over from Abram Curry in September 1870 (himself an unpopular figure in this position), resigned in May 1873. The charges were never substantiated by evidence, but the Carson City Mint, already struggling to pull in bullion deposits, suffered further damage to its prestige that in no way helped to increase yearly coinage output. Amidst this dramatic backdrop 22,410 1873-CC double eagles were produced, most examples likely being used in local and regional commerce. The far more substantial outputs from Philadelphia and San Francisco adequately met the nation s needs in the export trade. Only 5,300 of these coins had been produced by the end of June 1873, with the remaining 17,110 following from July 1 through the end of the year, the final 5,000 examples in a single day on December 31. Survival estimates among numismatic experts vary widely, with Rusty Goe (August 2012) accounting for 575 to 650 coins, Q. David Bowers (August 2012) 250 to 350 pieces, and Doug Winter ( Gold Coins of the Carson City Mint, 2001) 400 to 500 examples. However, all estimates point to the same truth: the 1873-CC is a scarce issue in an absolute sense and is one of the rarer entries in the Carson City Mint double eagle series. The typically offered survivor is apt to grade EF-40 or EF-45. This impressive About Uncirculated example retains considerable mint luster, a bright, satiny texture and dominant orange-gold patina with subtle khaki-olive undertones. Boldly, if not sharply defined in all but a few isolated areas, this delightful coin will appeal to an advanced collector of Carson City Mint gold or someone with a passion for the American frontier. ， Est. $25,000-$45,000
