Collector Basics: New Orleans Mint authorized in 1835
- Published: Dec 27, 2014, 3 AM
Editor’s note: This is one in a series of Coin World Collector Basics posts on facilities under the U.S. Mint’s jurisdiction.
The New Orleans Mint was authorized by Congress on March 3, 1835.
The cornerstone of the original three-story structure was put in place in September 1835. Construction was completed in 1838, with operations beginning March 8.
The first coinage consisted of 1838-O Seated Liberty dimes. The $40,242 face value in dime production represented the entire coinage output for the 1838 calendar year.
The state of Louisiana took control of coinage production on Jan. 31, 1861, using the same staff that was employed under federal control. On March 31, 1861, control of the facility and its coinage operations was seized by the Confederate States of America and remained under their control until close on May 31, 1861.
With Union troops recapturing New Orleans on May 1, 1862, control of the New Orleans Mint returned to federal authority.
The facility official reopened its doors on Oct. 23, 1876, as a U.S. Assay Office.
Coinage production resumed in 1879, and ceased for the final time in 1909.
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