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5 Dollars - C. Bechtler
| Issuer | C. Bechtler (Private Coiner) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837-1842 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents an entirely typographic design devoid of portraiture or allegorical imagery, consistent with the utilitarian style of Bechtler's private coinage. The legend GEORGIA GOLD curves around the upper periphery, while 22 CARATS. arcs along the lower border. At center in the field, the weight specification 128.G. is prominently struck, denoting the grain weight of the planchet. A small six-pointed star appears in the lower central field between the weight designation and the caratage legend. The lettering, though primitively rendered by professional mint standards, is bold and deeply impressed, reflecting the hand-engraved die work characteristic of this frontier assay operation. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Mint | Rutherfordton, North Carolina (C. Bechtler's Mint) |
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| Additional information |
Christopher Bechtler, a German immigrant jeweler who settled in Rutherford County, North Carolina, began striking private gold coins in 1831 — nearly a decade before the U.S. Mint opened a branch at Charlotte or Dahlonega to process Southern Appalachian gold. His operation was entirely legal under federal law at the time, filling a genuine commercial vacuum. Assay quality varied across his issues, and some five-dollar pieces were struck slightly light, prompting complaints that eventually drew government scrutiny.
The Kagin#23 attribution places this among the later Bechtler issues, after nephew Augustus had joined the operation.