3-volume book published about legacy of Carson City Mint

Rusty Goe’s new three-volume set titled The Confident Carson City Coin Collector spotlights Nevada’s legendary Carson City Mint during its coinmaking years between 1870 and 1893. Goe says many people through many decades have known about the Carson City Mint’s Comstock Lode connection.

This is an often-told story, says Goe. He also acknowledges that people inside and outside the world of coin collecting have associated iconic Liberty Head (Morgan design) silver dollars with the mint that operated on North Carson Street in Nevada’s capital. In fact, asserts Goe, the “CC” mintmark is the most celebrated brand label in all of U.S. coin collecting.

This information is all well and good, but Goe claims that some of these most commonly known facts only scratch the surface of the vast universe that encompasses all there is to know about the Carson City Mint and its coins.
That is why he devoted 2,500 pages, in three volumes, sharing all he has learned about these topics, which he says provide hobbyists with some of the most fascinating studies in all of numismatics.

On the history side, Goe wants readers to know that the purported founding father of Carson City, Abraham Curry, almost defied orders from his superior in Philadelphia in early 1870 when he insisted on stamping new coins using obsolete dies dated 1869. Goe describes how a respected businessman in Carson City named Henry F. Rice, after serving as the mint’s superintendent for three years, resigned his superintendency due to the federal government’s termination of two mint employees for no legitimate reason.

Elsewhere, Goe tells how a beloved mint employee died in a tragic accident while on duty. Then there is the ongoing story of how a U.S. senator from a state other than Nevada (who also once served as the secretary of the Treasury) detested the Carson City Mint and did all he could to stifle its productivity, if not close it down altogether. One more example will suffice. It involves an extremely popular man in Carson City who simultaneously held the positions of the local mint’s superintendent, officer at the town’s largest bank, and mayor.

Goe weaves hundreds of such narratives together as he attempts to allow readers to see, feel, smell, and totally experience what residents of Carson City experienced during the years in which the mint in their midst turned out silver and gold coins that would one day create much excitement among collectors.

The coins that have survived with the coveted “CC” mintmark are, of course, a major theme of Goe’s new three-volume book-set. He finds it extremely important for collectors to know why they collect the coins they desire. Thus, he expended much energy in providing facts about the pricing of coins (past and present), the estimated surviving supply counts of all 111 date-denominations issued by the Carson City Mint, and how to evaluate the physical qualities of individual coins, observing their positive as well as negative characteristics. Goe also realizes that many collectors want to know who the well-known people were who once owned the most recognized Carson City coins. That is why he provides what he calls pedigree information listing many of the coins’ previous custodians. Additionally, he documents hundreds of auction appearances of “CC” coins, listing the prices the coins realized.

A certain incredibly special and rare Carson City dime, according to Goe, sold for seventeen cents in 1878 and nearly $2 million in 2012. Another “CC” dime, dated 1874, was discovered in the South of France in 2008, repatriated to the United States, and sold for approximately $100,000 in 2009. Goe does not limit his observations to the rarest and most expensive coins. He determined when writing his newest work to cast his net of coverage over as wide a sphere as possible, knowing there are collectors of all stripes and budget levels interested in Carson City coins. That is why ample information is found in his volumes about the common date-denominations, some of which currently sell for as little $50 or slightly lower.

Goe believes that the most satisfied collectors (the most confident ones) know as much background information as possible about the coins they own. He says these collectors’ knowledge bases tend to keep them interested in their hobby pursuits for the long term. This is in contrast, according to Goe, with those who simply buy coins but never exert the effort to learn more than how much they paid for them and perhaps the coins’ condition ratings. Goe says he has witnessed more of these what he calls “low-level involvement” collectors buying “CC” coins in recent years due to the proliferation of Internet sales. With little (or no) foundation laid for their dabbling in “CC” coins, Goe says these kinds of collectors often lose interest and move on to other things to pursue.

According to Goe, fully engrossed collectors who know as many facts as possible about their coins and can recount stories about the Carson City Mint’s history, typically become lifelong zealots who spread the news about the rewards available to all who will so endeavor.

Famed numismatic author Q. David Bowers writes in his foreword for Volume 1:

“The current volumes are monumental additions to the existing literature on the Carson City Mint. I have never seen a more exhaustive study of coins (of any kind) presented. I am greatly impressed with The Confident Carson City Coin Collector.”

Rusty Goe is a recognized authority on the Carson City Mint’s history and the coins that have survived from that institution. His previous two award-winning books are The Mint on Carson Street (2003) and James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City (2007). His has assisted many collectors in building praiseworthy sets of Carson City coins. In 2005 he founded the Carson City Coin Collectors of America. The club’s journal, Curry’s Chronicle, won numerous awards.

Volume 1 in Goe’s new reference work comprises 848 pages. It spans the years from the Carson City Mint’s beginning to 1874. Volume 2 runs 1,012 pages and covers the period between 1875 and 1885. Volume 3 is 640 pages in length. It chronicles the Mint’s remarkable rebirth in 1889 to its final year of coining operations in 1893. An extensive Appendix section in Volume 3 features tables filled with informative data about “CC” coins. Goe says it required such page counts to cover the comprehensive material he wished to share.

Sharp, full-color images of all 111 date-denominations comprising a basic complete set of Carson City coins decorate the pages. Numerous other images (color and black and white), many of a historical nature, also complement the narrative.

For more information about The Confident Carson City Coin Collector, Rusty Goe, the Carson City Mint, and Carson City coins, please visit www.southgatecoins.com

The Confident Carson City Coin Collector
Rusty Goe
Publisher: Southgate Coins
Date of Publication: December 2020
Released: February 2021
Price: $299
Scope: Three volumes comprising 2,500 pages Size: 8.5” x 11” hard back with glossy laminated covers