After a recent trip to Dahlonega, Georgia, I'm became obsessed
with wanting to know more about the U.S. Mint that had been
there and its history. To say that "The Neighborhood Mint:
Dahlonega in the Age of Jackson" by Sylvia Head, Elizabeth W.
Etheridge, gave me all the information I ever wanted to know
would be an understatement. Their 200-page book is packed with
facts, figures, stories, and bits of history that sometimes were
overwhelming. At times you get the feeling the authors are
"beating a dead horse", but I was never left with mysteries or
unanswered questions.
Being a student of US coins, I was fascinated as to the role
politics played in the coinage of our money, establishment of
mints, and whom the mints employed. The authors drill down deep
into the personalities and motives of the individual players.
Additionally, I was fascinated to learn that Dahlonega was the
site of the first American gold rush, not California. The
Dahlonega mint never did produce the coinage anticipated by its
developers for numerous reasons, which is also explained. I
wouldn't recommend this book to the fainthearted. If you are
history buff, coin collector, or a student of politics, this is
a good read. If you are not, stay away.
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