1858 California Fractional Gold Token
InGodWeTrustCoins
Posts: 174 ✭✭✭
Is this a real California fractional or a modern replica?
Thanks!
2
InGodWeTrustCoins
Posts: 174 ✭✭✭
Comments
i'm going to treat this like a GTG and play guess the authenticity
this is not a period frac gold because it does not have a denomination. this is a replica made decades later and it is real gold
we'll see what the knowledgeable say
I don’t know when it was produced but it’s not a genuine California fractional gold coin.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Thank you both for the help!
InGodWeTrustCoinsandCurrency.com
reminder: my only help was that it didn't have a denom
It is not from the original (earliest) period of production of these. The first ones were intended to be used in circulation as money. Later issues were charms or souvenirs. A significant number of remakes were produced in the 1940s through 1960s for tourists. These were generally made of brass with a gold wash.
Yours, however, is from the middle period (about 1865-1930). It was intended to be used as a charm. It is likely solid 10K gold with a 999 gold wash over that. As such, it has some collector value (more than the brass pieces).
Here is a certified one dated "1860" that uses the same reverse die as yours (but the obverse die is different, of course):
https://ebay.com/itm/306393192708
Here is the same item (both dies identical) that sold recently:
https://ebay.com/itm/306371344040
Thank you Mr. Carr! I appreciate the help!!
InGodWeTrustCoinsandCurrency.com
In 1882, the Secret Service suppressed the production of California Fractional Gold Coins deeming them to be illegal. After 1882, California Fractional Coins continued to be produced and were backdated to hide their date of manufacture. You can see these coins in the PCGS Coin Facts web site here where all genuine California Fractional Gold Coins are listed by BG (Breen-Gillio) number. The post 1882 coins which are all backdated are part of the BG-1300 series. The tokens are all made in the post 1882 era and are all backdated to the gold rush era. They were primarily made as collectable souvenirs and for use in the jewelry trade.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Replica.
Your charm looks like a Burnie # 34-3.
As of the last five years or so, these type of charms have become very collectible and popular. Sometimes even getting the same prices as the coins.
@dcarr Thank you for finding the listing of the sold coin.
I have handled and sold several similar all graded by NGC, is it safe to say that PCGS does not holder these?