1890

1890 Fairmont Collection Coins

One of the more notable dates found in the hoard of Fairmont Collection coins is the 1890 date. This period of American coining came near the end of the Gilded Age in America as the nation’s rapid industrialization helped catapult the United States onto the international stage as an emerging power. As the US took larger steps onto the global stage, American currency circulated further beyond its borders.

1890 Liberty Half Eagles

In 1890, the $5 Liberty Gold Half Eagle was issued by only two branch mints: Philadelphia and Carson City. The Carson City Mint had been opened in 1870 to take advantage of gold and silver sources in the western United States. Though it was primarily focused on silver denominations, it did issue coins from the US Eagle denomination.

The 1890 issue of $5 Liberty Gold Half Eagles included just 4,240 coins from Philadelphia, compared to 53,800 coins from Carson City Mint. The mint struck these coins with a CC mint mark on the reverse.

1890 Liberty Double Eagles

As mentioned above, the Carson City Mint was a major producer of US Eagle gold denominations in 1890. This was a notable year as Carson City would close permanently just three years later in late 1893. Unlike the Liberty Half Eagles, Liberty Double Eagles were issued by Philadelphia, Carson City, and San Francisco, with the latter issuing the lion’s share of coins at more than 800,000 specimens. 1890-CC Liberty Gold Double Eagles had a mintage of 91,209 coins.