Dahlonega Gold Web Site: A Review 

By David W. Boitnott

Enthusiasts of southern gold, especially Georgia gold, will enjoy two new web sites recently started by Atlanta, Georgia coin dealer Hancock & Harwell. The address for the home page of Hancock & Harwell’s enterprise is www.raregold.com. From this starting point one can access limited information on Charlotte Branch Mint coins (http://www.raregold.com/r-char.htm), Bechtler private issue coinage (http://www.raregold.com/r-bech.htm), Stone Mountain Commemoratives (http://www.raregold.com/r-stone.htm), and Hancock & Harwell’s coins for sale. Although limited, the information contained in this web site is well worth the visit. 

The real treasure is at Hancock & Harwell’s Dahlonega Branch Mint web site. It is linked to their home page but the direct address is http://www.dahlonegagold.com/. At this site you will find a brief history of the Dahlonega Branch Mint written by Numismatist William M. House. The "mother load" of this World Wide Web treasure however is the photographs of each and every date-denomination combination issued by the Dahlonega Branch Mint. These are not just any coins; most are Mint-State and the finest known example of the coin illustrated. Each photo is presented with a description of the coin outlining its rarity, strike characteristics, survival rate estimate, and an estimate of how many or what percent survived in Mint State. There is also a section on the private coinage of Templeton Reid, which is also illustrated. This site is very detailed so expect to spend some time looking around but I feel you will find it quite rewarding. 

Through correspondence with Hancock & Harwell I learned they are currently developing an expanded web site for Charlotte Branch Mint coins of the same depth and quality as their Dahlonega site. I can’t wait. If you do not have access to the World Wide Web and would like to contact Hancock & Harwell to discuss southern gold their mailing address is 3155 Roswell Road Suite 310, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. They can also be reached by e-mail at info@raregold.com.

 

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