When pondering the immortal deeds of President Millard Fillmore, as one should occasionally, his signature on the Coinage Act of 1853 is worth a thought. The law, signed weeks before he left office, adjusted the silver content of most U.S. coinage, but also created the $3 gold piece. When that hoary old cliché about the queerness of a $3 bill is trotted out, I’d guess that most people don’t know that there was actually such a denomination. It was a gold coin rather than paper, made from 1854 to 1889, though few were minted most of those years.
I already knew about $3 gold pieces before I arrived at the Dahlonega Gold Museum in late June on my way to Tennessee, but if I hadn’t, I could have learned about them there. Dahlonega, Georgia, used to be home to a branch mint where they were made. Only gold coins were made at Dahlonega, including that odd duck of a denomination for exactly one year (1854), but also gold dollars, quarter eagles and half eagles until 1861. No eagles or double eagles, however.
The history of gold coinage at the Dahlonega Mint wasn’t that long. Congress authorized a branch mint there (and in Charlotte, NC, and New Orleans) in 1835, and coin production started at Dahlonega in 1838. The north Georgia gold rush beginning in the late 1820s justified such a move. The Civil War resulted in the closure of the mint, which never reopened afterward, and not too much later, the mint building in Dahlonega burned down. The modern museum is in the former Lumpkin County Courthouse and tells the story of gold in the area.
The museum has exhibits about the mint, but also the gold rush, including information about the discovery and mining of the metal, some antique equipment, and a nod to the Cherokee on whose land the gold was discovered — the rush helped precipitate the Indian Removal Act — as well as the slaves and free labor that worked the streams and hills looking for gold. There was also, behind thick glass, a complete collection of Dahlonega gold coins, mint mark “D,” long before Denver got that letter for its coins.
The protective glass made photographing the actual coins problematic, but the museum thoughtfully provided enlarged images of a few of the coins in its display, including the $3 piece.
Like the 20 cent piece or the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the $3 gold piece wasn’t popular when new. Too easily confused with the quarter eagle would be my guess, though their designs are very different. But they are popular among collectors now, and quite valuable. As a result, alas, I’m unlikely ever to own one. In the most extreme case, an 1870-S $3 piece, the only example known to exist, sold at auction in 2023 for more than $5.5 million.
As for Dahlonega, its downtown has the handsome look of a day-trip destination from Atlanta and a lot of suitable businesses. On the former county courthouse square, you can find the likes of Gustavo’s Scratch Kitchen, Vintage Musical Instruments, Dahlonega Tasting Room, The Glass Blowing Shop, Studio Jewelers, Lynn’s Gifts, Country Cottage (also gifts), Local Pup pet store, 19° Seafood & Grill, Paul Thomas Chocolates, Dahlonega Goods and Dress Up Dahlonega.
A blazing hot day might not have been the best time for a visit, so the square wasn’t especially crowded. I only spent enough time on foot to get from a parking lot a block away to the museum, and then took a walk around the building under the shade of the trees on the grounds. For a hot summer day, not a bad walkabout. Certainly worth the effort to see some Dahlonega gold.