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Charlotte and Dahlonega: the C and D gold mints
C is Charlotte. D on old gold is Dahlonega, not Denver. Small southern gold mints. Soft strikes. Real money when genuine. Not a Saturday junk-gold story.
C on old gold is Charlotte, North Carolina. D on old gold is often Dahlonega, Georgia — not Denver.
Both mints existed to coin southern gold before the Civil War. They made small coins: dollars, quarter eagles, half eagles. They closed in 1861. US gold types. Pre-33 vs Eagles.
Denver’s D starts much later (1906). A 1911-D $2.50 is Denver. An 1851-D $5 is Dahlonega. The letter is the same. The century is not.
What they look like
Soft strikes are normal. That is the mint, not a pocket. Surfaces can be lumpy. A VF southern gold piece can still be a serious coin.
Fakes exist. So do jewelry mounts that ate the rims. We look. We weigh. We do not guess from a Facebook crop.
What we do
If it is genuine, it is not melt-and-a-smile. If it is not genuine, it is a lesson. Bring it in the holder if it has one. Do not pry. When to slab. Fake gold. Where is the mint mark?.