For the first forty years, the US Mint was only located in Philadelphia. People are starting to move west toward the Mississippi River. The United States buys the Louisiana Purchase by the French in 1803. This alone extends the United States as far west as the Rocky Mountains. Instead of moving gold and silver to Philadelphia which takes too long to get to back then, the US mint decides to build three new branches in the Southern US. One branch will be in New Orleans which will be one of the highest producing mint branches of the 19th century.
The New Orleans Mint
In the 1830s, New Orleans, Louisiana is the fifth largest city as well as one of the largest ports in the US. For this reason, as well as gold discovered in Alabama, a mint branch is built there. Charlotte and Dahlonega Georgia, the two other new mint branches, only mint Gold Coins. However, New Orleans will mint both gold and silver coins with the help of foreign vessels coming to their port.
The New Orleans Mint officially opens on March 8, 1838. On May 7th, they mint their first coins, 30 Liberty Seated Dimes. While Philadelphia is the place for the production of copper half cents and cents, New Orleans assists them with the silver coins including the three cents, half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars. They also produce gold dollars, quarter eagles ($2.50), three dollar pieces, half eagles ($5), eagles ($10), and double eagles ($20). To distinguish New Orleans coins from the other three branches, an “O” mint mark is each coin.
The Civil War
In 1861, the Confederacy secedes from the Union. This only leaves two Mint branches for the Union, Philadelphia and San Francisco (opening in 1854) as the other three branches are in Confederacy land. The New Orleans mint stops minting on January 26, 1861, when Louisiana secedes. A few days later, any Federal workers can stay, but will now work for the state of Louisiana.
On February 1st, the Secession Convention determines that there are $483,983 worth of silver and gold coins in the mint’s vault. This consists of $308,771 in gold coins and $175,212.08 in silver coins. They also determine that at least 5,000 $20 Double Eagles are minted by the New Orleans Mint during January before production ends.
Louisiana accepts the Confederacy Constitution in March and allows the mint workers to stay in order to mint coins for the Confederacy. They end up minting a silver half dollar with the Liberty Seated design on the obverse and a shield with a speared olive bud on the reverse. There is never a total mintage determined, but there are four known including one that sells for $960,000.
The Confederacy closes the Mint branch on May 31. 1861, when Confederate troops use the building. They close Charlotte and Dahlonega as well. When the Civil War ends in 1865, there is no mention of reopening any of these branches.
Return to New Orleans
Toward the end of the Reconstruction of the South, only Philadelphia and San Francisco are minting coins and the mint still isn’t considering reopening Charlotte or Dahlonega. However, in 1876, the former United States mint building in New Orleans reopens as an assay office.
In 1878, Congress passes the Bland-Allison Act that allows the US Treasury to get silver to produce Silver Dollars again. They stop minting Silver Dollars for the US in 1873 and Trade Dollars are mainly for Asian markets from 1873 to 1878. With the new Morgan Dollars, the Treasury considers bringing back the New Orleans Mint in 1879. They need new machinery and to refurbish the building as a result of the damage from the Civil War.
New Orleans goes back to minting silver dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollars as well as gold half eagles, eagles, and double eagles (in 1879 only). Morgan Dollars are minted in New Orleans until 1904 when production of silver dollars stops again. By the time the Morgan Dollar returns in 1921, the New Orleans Mint is no more. In 1909, the US Mint decides to close the mint. The Denver Mint opens in 1906 allowing three mint branches without New Orleans.
The Future Of The Mint Building
The US Treasury decommissions the New Orleans Mint in 1911 and becomes an assay office again until 1932. Then, it becomes a Federal prison from 1932 to 1943. The Coast Guard will use it as a storage, but by 1965, it belongs to the State of Louisiana. It is also used as a fallout shelter for some time.
Though they consider demolishing the building, the State of Louisiana is able to renovate it into a museum in 1981. As well as a museum showing the mint’s production, they display Mardi Gras objects and jazz music from the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Do You Have Any Coins With An “O” Mint Mark?
Maybe you have a Seated Liberty or Barber coin from New Orleans. Toward the top of the page, I included an image of the reverse of a 1850-O Liberty Seated Half Dollar that once belonged to my grandmother. I guess many people have at least one New Orleans Morgan Dollar. I would like to visit the museum someday. How about you?