Gold Fever and the Bechtler Mint

North Carolina's gold rush of the 1800s and the minting of America's first $1 gold coin.

The discovery of gold in North Carolina in the early 1800s set off America's first gold rush and provided a German immigrant named Christopher Bechtler the opportunity to create a successful family-owned mint that produced nearly two and a quarter million dollars worth of gold coins, including the country's first $1.00 gold coin. Shot on location in Rutherford County and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Gold Fever and the Bechtler Mint is a local public television program presented by PBS NC.

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