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Sale 37
Pre-Long Beach Coin and Currency Auction
| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 2559 |
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August Bechtler, 1 DOLLAR CAROLINA, 27 gr. 21 carats. PCGS graded MS-61. Well struck with light streaky obverse toning. Frosty surface. It is difficult for us to imagine that this piece could have survived so well preserved, with so few marks and such original uncleaned luster, when most of these are no better than EF. Pop 9; 14 finer (PCGS # 10040) .
Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,400.
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| Unsold |
Lot 2560 |
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1849 Moffat & Co. (San Francisco) $5 Gold. PCGS graded VG-8. A pleasing problem-free example of this popular Pioneer gold coin. The honest wear is evenly spread with plenty of detail present for the assigned grade. In fact, the reverse could grade Fine to Very Fine. Popular as the most important of the California private coiners and for the coveted year. In an old green label holder.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 1,700.
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| Realized
$2,415 |
Lot 2561 |
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1851 U.S. Assay Office $50 "slug", 887 THOUS. Reeded edge. NGC graded MS-62. Nice luster and scarce in mint state. An solid Mint State in all regards and one of the most historic artifacts of the California Gold Rush: real money used by the businessmen and trading houses that propelled California into the front pages of the news around the world. The satiny surfaces are alight with sizzling gold luster, the strike is clear-cut with clarity on most of the marginal lettering, and the eye appeal is nothing short of exceptional. This is the form of gold taken from the ground, with a purity of 887 Thous. Fine gold. The ideal was to make these .900 Fine, but due to a lack of parting acids the private minters (and later the U.S. Mint) had difficulty refining all the gold bullion that flooded in. So the workaround was to bring the fineness to an acceptable (for exchange purposes) 887.
The $50 octagonal "slug," called an adobe in local trade was a mainstay of California commerce in the first years of the gold rush. Such pieces were used in large transactions, being the coin of choice in payment for shipments to local merchants such as John Sutter, who had a trading post near Sacramento. Curiously, paper money was illegal in the state (under the Constitution of 1850), and lesser denomination gold coins were not readily available. Octagonal $50 pieces were last minted in 1851 and 1852, but were continued in use for much of the rest of the decade gaining wide acceptance. Pop 3; none higher.
Estimated Value $100,000 - 120,000.
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| Realized
$132,250 |
Lot 2562 |
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1852 U.S. Assay Office $50 Gold, 887 THOUS. NGC graded MS-61. Nice light golden toning. Usual amount of light marks on both sides. A frosty golden well struck example with strong underlying luster and rich brownish gold highlights on both sides. Nicely struck for the date, including the eagle's chest and wings, with the shield vertical stripes complee but not the orizontals, certainly a Territorial $50 coin that gets honorable mention where fullness of design is concerned. The corners are very choice. An historic gold "slug" from the California gold rush days. Pop 1; 3 finer in 62.
Estimated Value $55,000 - 60,000.
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| Realized
$71,875 |
Lot 2563 |
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1853 U.S. Assay Office $20 Gold, 900 THOUS. NGC graded AU-58. Nice and frosty. A few scattered marks here and there about the rims. None too serious. A rare treat: numismatists have the privilege of bidding on a beautiful high-end About Uncirculated example with luster that radiates from the central portion of both obverse and reverse all the way to the peripheries with only the barest sign of friction. Not only is it bright, golden, and alluring, but it also is a well struck example. The feathers, shield and breast detail on the eagle are nearly completely defined. Also above average with regards to abrasions and enhanced by soft hints of greenish patina. There were two major varieties for the 1853 Assay Office $20 gold pieces, the 884 and 900 THOUS. This is from the latter batch in "standard" coin gold that is .900 Fine, and is seem more frequently, although rarely offered in such choice condition.
Assay Twenties became the workhorse gold coins in California at the time of the Gold Rush. Being the most readily available of all territorial gold coins they are the most widely recognized by collectors. They were struck in the year preceding the opening of the San Francisco Mint, and are, by law, official issues of the United States Government.
Estimated Value $5,500 - 6,000.
The Greenhill Collection.
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| Realized
$6,210 |
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