Built
in 1874, the Old Mint is the oldest stone Federal building
on the West Coast and a national historic landmark. The
Federal government constructed the mint to accommodate
a massive bonanza from the Comstock Lode, one of the wealthiest
silver strikes in mining history. Discovered in Western
Nevada in 1859, the Comstock Lode produced ten times the
wealth of the Gold Rush, much of it flowing down to the
Old Mint for processing into coins and bullion. Source:
Walking San Francisco on the Barbary Coast Trail
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