Posted 2 years ago
nanned
(2 items)
Two tiny coins, very thin and labelled California gold. 1856 and 1857. Would like to know if they are real or fake. Any info would be appreciatated.
-
Fashion
Fashion Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
V
intage can be intimidating. It's certainly not as simple as going to the mall, finding your size, and buying a mass-produced outfit. You have to dig through racks and racks of wildly diverse items, with mysterious sizing, looking for…
-
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Adrift in a sea of digital apps for every imaginable function, we often feel our needs are met better today than in any previous era. But consider the chatelaine, a device popularized in the 18th century that attached to the waist of a wo…
-
-
Design
Design Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The meerschaum pipes carved in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century are among the most bizarre and improbable concoctions in decorative art. Some feature …
-
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
What would jazz look like if it had a physical presence? According to Sherry Ann Byrd, a celebrated quilt maker who posts on Show & Tell, it might look something like the hand-made "M-provisational" q…
-
-
Machines
Machines Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of …
-
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
The last time we spoke to Justin Pinchot, he took us on a guided tour of his collection of toy robots. Recently, J…
-
-
Culture
Culture Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
When Bob Meistrell started surfing in Northern California during the early 1950s, 20 minutes was about all he could stand in the frigid coastal waters. Despite the constant rush of …
-
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
It’s kind of ironic that Tommy Chong, the smokiest half of Cheech and Chong, i…
-
-
Collectibles
Collectibles Categories
Breaking Vintage News
-
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Tucked away in a lower Manhattan back alley, the freight-elevator-sized, generically named Museum is one of New York City's newest curiosities.…
-
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid
When I was growing up in the ’60s and ’70s, reading comics wasn't as popular as it had been in the ’40s or ’50s. But my older sister had comics, including a big collection of “Betty and Veronica.” Our parents encouraged us to read everything, so at 6 years old…
-
US CoinsCoins have always held a special place in the American psyche. Early on, Th…
Three things stand out, one is that they don't look like gold, two is that there are no denomination's marked on the coins and third is that they are poorly struck.
Thanks for the comments. You are right on all three. The photos do not show the gold finish very well, but in person, they are gold in color but appear to be gold plated vs solid gold. I found references at calgoldcoin.com for both as possible variants of the Wreath 4 and 5 indexes. Also, these references do not show any denomination. Still not sold on the authenticity, however. Need more info.
Thanks for that web addy, I learned a few things about California gold. Two misconceptions I had were, demoninational coins were always marked with the demomination, also the Bear myth, that no legitamate coins were stamped with a Bear.
Let us know if your coins turn out to be legit, and Good Luck.
dave
These are two pieces that were probably made by Herman Brand circa 1890-1900, although they could have been made by Herman Kroll in a later period. Kroll acquired Brand's tooling some time around 1900, creating some confusion as to who made what. They are both "wreath5" by the classification on my website. The 1857 piece is illustrated on my website.
They were not made in the 1850s
They are not solid gold
They are not circulating coins
However, they are "authentic" California Gold souvenirs.
Very few California Gold coins in these fractional sizes circulated. None of the non-denominated versions circulated, and the evidence only supports that the denominated pieces circulated in 1852-3.
Be careful with the terms "fake", "replica", "reproduction", "restrike", and "authentic" because they are currently so misused as to approach being meaningless in this context.
Mike,
Thank you so much for helping me "solve the mystery.". Your expertise on this subject is, without a doubt, the absolute best. The information you gave me is way more than I expected, and truly appreciate it. I now believe these coins were purchased in California in the early 1900's by a family member who was traveling the world, and purchased many souvenirs along the way.
@ Nanned,
Just to add a little to the conversation. The reason the denomination disappeared from these small gold coins is that the Coinage Act of 1864 made private coinage illegal. However, it didn't get enforced much until the 1880s so denominated private coins continued to be produced until then. Then the secret service started raiding manufacturers and confiscating dies and occasionally arresting the manufacturer. Not only did they target gold producers, but even copper cent imitations. So the manufacturers removed the denomination to get around the law.
The coins did circulate during the early 1850s due to a coin shortage in California. Gold coming from the gold fields had to be shipped to New Orleans to get minted into coins so private local companies minted their own coins to fill the void.
The reason the coins never circulated much after 1854, was because the San Francisco mint opened that year alleviating the coin shortage in California. These small-denomination coins only contained about 85% of the face value in gold whereas U.S. Mint produced coins were full weight, so they were quickly relegated to mere souvenirs even though they still had a denomination on them.
One thing to add, as the years went on these tokens contained less and less gold with many simply being gold plated.
Thanks so much - Dave, Mike, and AC - for your contributions in solving this mystery. It's a fascinating story.