9-27-18

Carson City. Annex and entry hall built to suggest a mine headframe, in honor of Nevada's mining heritage.

Carson City, housed (mostly) in the original Carson City Mint building. An annex built in the 1990s or so includes a glass and steel frame structure meant to suggest the headframe on a mine, in recognition of Nevada's mining heritage (left inset). The Carson City mint (mint mark "CC") was a US branch mint active from 1870-1893. It struck gold and silver coins from the output of local mines, in particular the Comstock Lode. As might be expected, output was small, and the CC mint mark includes some of the rarest issues of US coins. The original coin press is still present in the building (right inset), and is used to strike commemorative medallions on special occasions. A large balance, for weighing bullion ingots, is also on display (lower right inset).

One of the original coin presses at the Carson City Mint, still in place in what's now the Nevada State Museum. The press is still used occasionally to strike special commemorative medallions. It last struck coins for circulation in 1893.

Large twin-balance scale originally used to weigh precious-metal ingots for the Carson City Mint, still on display in what's now the Nevada State Museum.