Ch. 2: Gold Mining Historical Notes

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HISTORICAL XOTES: MINING, METALLURGICAL AND STATISTICAL. 41

Cnited States Mint and Assay Office receipts, and do not include such bullion as went abroad, was sold directly to local jewellers, or was coined by the Bechlters * at Rutherfordton, 1ST. C.

Table II.. Statement of Gold and Silver produced in all of the Southei'n States; Deposited at the United States Assay Offices from 1793 to 1S9(J inclusice.


Year.	Amount.	Year.	Amount.	Year.	Amount.
1793-1S23	$47,000	1848	$850,692	1S73	8158,952
1S24	5,000	1S49	S91,9t>8	1874	141,647
1S25	17,000	1S50	65S.005	1S75	150,612
1S2G	20,000	1851	500,539	1876	138,256
1S27	21,000	1S52	711,449	1S77	159,009
1S2S	46,000	1S53	486,184	1878	162,925
1829	140,000	1854	323.4S9	1S79	1S6,123
1S30	460,000	1855	362,349	1SS0	203,770
1S31	519,000	1856	325,820	1SS1	197.084
1832	67S,000	1S57	141,810	1SS2	229,459
1833	S68.000	1S58	349,323	1S83	272,475
1S34	S9S.000	1859	379,677	1S84	255,259
1S35	6S6.300	1S60	231,398	1SS5	239,963
1,836	667,000	1S61	141,778	1886	272,414
1837	2S2.000	1S62	6.29S	1SS7	390,531
1838 -	358,750	1S63	1,624	1888	234.947
1S39	429.G4S	1S64	6,093	1SS9	224.323
1S40	427,311	1S05	33,345	1S90	269,997
1S41	544,661	1S66	202,000	1891	254,707
1S42	723,761	1867	106.903	1S92	262,023
1843	1,050,100	1S6S	155,660	1893	261,904
1844	928,005	1S69	191,738	1S94	263,827
1845	9S6.S49	1870	168.057	1S95	319,496
1S46	992.792	1871	138,791	1S96	270.210
1S47	1,018,079	1S72	164.461
	1,018,079	1S72	164.461	Total,	25,870,310

The following- note concerning this local coinage by the Beclitlers is added bv Mr. Geo. B. Hanna of the 17. S. Assay Office at Charlotte, X. C: *

"Gold was coined at Rutherfordton by three Bechtlers: Christian Bechtler, A. Bechtler and Christian Bechtler, Jr. A. Bechtler came in between C. Bechtler and C. Bechtler, Jr. I have in hand a 5-dollar gold piece stamped ' A.'

Christian Bechtler, jeweller by trade, who resided near Kutherfordton, N. C, was urged hy residents in Rutherford and adjoining counties to coin the gold of that neighborhood, as transportation to the only mint then existing-rPhilad^lphia, Pa.) was hazardous and difficult. He commenced coining in 1831, and continued until his death, in 1843, when his nephew, O. Bechtler, Jr., continued the minting until 1857. No regular entries of the quantity of gold minted were made: sometimes as much as $4000 to $5000 were coined in a week; and for a period of ten years the annual quantity was fairly equal. See Second Annual Ecport Survey of South Carolina, 1857. O. M. Lieber, p. 135.

- The years 1838 to 1847 exclude the amounts deposited at the New Orleans Mint, which were not available for each year. The total amount at New Orleans in those years from the Southern States was only $11(5,C8i>.

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