Most expensive California fractional bear coin?
Zoins
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There is a common saying for California Factional tokens:
If you see a bear, beware
I just ran across this Chinatown, San Francisco gold half dollar being offered for $1,849.95.
Is this the most expensive California fractional bear token? Is this gold?
Mike Locke of CalGoldCoin.com has photos of this here with the following description:
No Date with Chinese dragon in middle #1. CHINATOWN SAN FRANCISCO around. Early DS reverse, with lathe lines showing in the field. Scan of token from the Golden State Collector. 12.1 x 0.65mm, 0.51 grams
http://www.calgoldcoin.com/oldhtml/bear9.htm
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A lot of these junk jewelry pieces floated around. Mint archives have many letters from the mid-1870 through early 1900s.
That letter is asking the US Mint to strike some quarter dollar gold coins. Do we know if the Mint ever struck any?
It's amazing what becomes collectible over time. The Mint used to not value old dies and patterns, and even more recently waffled coins. Seems like collectors have a voracious appetite to collect.
No. Gold halves were briefly considered but dropped; gold quarters never happened.
Most of these junk pieces seem to have originated with a Jewelry company in the mid-West.
Are there any thoughts on which company was making these?
Many of them are not gold, but apparently some are gold. I always thought the gold and non-gold ones were struck by different companies. I wouldn't call the gold ones "junk".
RE: "Are there any thoughts on which company was making these?"
Yep. I posted the information a few months ago. It's in one of the earlier threads on these jewelry pieces.
Of note, there doesn't seem to be any of these listed in the ATS census when searching for "chinatown".
https://www.ngccoin.com/census/us-tokens-and-medals/california-and-state-fractional-gold-tokens/131/
That 'bear' looks more like a wolf, or even a wild hog....
I would not buy a piece with such a caricature... should at least remotely resemble what was intended. Cheers, RickO
Lions and tigers and BEARS...oh my!
That used to be our first question to people who called on the phone asking about their "real old gold coin."
Does it have a bear on it?
Not this one. Thought I would share. Neat CA 1/4 oz.
100% Positive BST transactions
Now down to $1,499.95. Wonder what it will sell at and wonder why it's not slabbed at these prices.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chinatown-San-Francisco-California-Gold-Token-Chinese-China-Dragon-RARE-Q396/303139389595
I'm a fan of these but wish the gold premiums were lower.
I like that Chinatown piece!
I thought that it looked like an angry pig when I first saw it.
That reverse looks like the reverse that was on the “California Gold Tokens” that Woolworth’s sold in the late 1960s for $2. One indicator that something was not quite right was the fact that it was so cheap. Usually the prices were several times the value of the piece they were offering. For example a banged up Seated Half Dime was priced at $4.50 when it was probably with 50 cents to a dollar at most.
Bill, as I speculated wildly in the last thread about Cal tokens with bears from the late 20’s and early 30’s, it is possible the people making them later made the Woolworth crap using leftover bear reverses.
I was going to say looks more like a wild bore
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/publishedset/209923
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/quarters/washington-quarters-major-sets/washington-quarters-date-set-circulation-strikes-1932-present/album/209923
If this was slabbed, probably make it easier to sell.
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
Would be great to compare TrueViews for these to identifier dies and die sinkers.