(1831-34) $5 C. Bechtler, Assayer, with 150.G. MS(PCGS#10118)

August 2021 ANA U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

4298

等级

AU55

价格

264,320

详细说明

Premium Choice AU K-15 C. Bechtler $5 Gold The Eliasberg Specimen Undated (1831-1834) Christopher Bechtler $5. K-15. Rarity-7. 150.G., 20.CARATS. AU-55 (PCGS). CAC. One of the most desirable examples of this elusive Bechtler issue available to today's discerning numismatists, this coin offers history, rarity, superior technical quality, strong eye appeal, and an impressive provenance in an irresistible combination. Light honey-gold color to both sides, the surfaces reveal blushes of warmer rose-gold tinting as the coin dips into a light. Direct viewing angles also call forth ample remnants of a prooflike finish from the protected areas around all of the design elements. The strike is a bit tight to 3 o'clock on the obverse, although not distractingly so, and both sides offer bold to sharp detail throughout the design. Wispy handling marks are perhaps most noticeable within the open central reverse field, a shallow noncontiguous scuff that arcs between the letters T and F in RUTHERFORD serving as a useful identifier for tracking this coin through future market appearances. As aesthetically pleasing as any example of this challenging type that we have ever offered, this handsome Choice AU would serve as a highlight in even the finest specialized collection of Territorial gold coinage. The Bechtler family headed by Alt Christoph, his two sons August and Karl, and nephew Christoph arrived from Pforzheim in Baden, first to New York then Philadelphia, where they opened a watch repair shop in the latter city. Accomplished gunsmiths and watchmakers, likely well aware of the large quantities of gold coming from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, the Bechtlers picked up and headed to Rutherford County, North Carolina in March or April 1830. Beginning sometime in July of 1831, Christopher Bechtler, as Alt Christoph had become known, set up his own assay office and private mint just north of town. The family started out coining $2.50 and $5 coins, all very utilitarian in design, then later they also introduced the nation's first gold dollar, beating out the United States Mint by about 17 years. The fineness of the gold coming to the Bechtler's mint varied widely depending on where it was mined. GEORGIA came to mean the finest gold at roughly 22 carats, CAROLINA and N. CAROLINA at 20 or 21 carats. The Bechtlers created and modified dies depending on the purity and weight, and in so doing creating a wide variety of different coin types. The federal government got into the act in 1838 and established branch mints near the gold-producing regions at Charlotte and Dahlonega, which impacted the Bechtlers' minting operations. Health issues along with a penchant for overindulging in alcohol led to a decline in business and finally sometime around 1849 or 1850 Christopher Jr. shut the coining business down in its entirety. The Bechtler coins were heavily used throughout the Southern states for many years afterwards. The Georgia-marked pieces at their higher purity level were especially in demand, which also meant they suffered from wear as well as later meltings. The Mint actively tried to pull any examples of Bechtler's coins out of circulation and used them for their own products, leaving behind only a comparative few for today's collectors to enjoy. The Kagin-15 variety, offered here, is a second series C. Bechtler $5, produced after the even rarer K-14 variety. Survivors are highly elusive, and particularly desirable with the quality offered here. Provenance: From the Collection of a Southern Gentleman. Earlier ex our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, May 1996, lot 322; our (Stack's) Americana Sale of January 2008, lot 9385; Heritage's FUN Signature Auction of January 2012, lot 5142; Heritage's CSNS Signature Auction of April 2012, lot 5397. PCGS Population: 6; 5 finer, four of which are Mint State (MS-62 finest). CAC Population: 1; 2. PCGS# 10118. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]