Circulated 1857-S Gold
I have been fascinated by 1857 as one of the most interesting years in U.S. numismatics. It saw the Coinage Act, which finally removed foreign coins as legal tender in the United States. It also marked the end of the Large Cent and the half cent. Then there was the sinking of the SS Central America. Much has been written about it from a numismatic perspective, but I'm equally interested in its broader economic ramifications and the knock-on effects that helped influence the secession of the slave states.
As a Northern California native, I've always taken a personal interest in collecting San Francisco Mint issues along with Pioneer gold. I originally bought a non-SSCA 1857-S $20 for the No Motto Double Eagle slot in my type set. While I appreciate the history of the SS Central America coins, I've never been particularly drawn to them. Most appear overprocessed to my eye, they tend to command a premium despite not being especially scarce, and I really like the idea of owning gold coins that actually circulated in the Old West.
With that in mind, I decided to put together a circulated denomination set of 1857-S gold. I may slowly add other 1857 issues over time, but for now my primary goal with the set is complete.
Please post your 1857 dated coins.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
Comments
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Copper, not gold.
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An odd duck but it's 1857. I cannot remember what type of error this is.
It is not that life is short, but that you are dead for so very long.15 -
Very cool collecting theme. I collect first and last year type along with other type - if the cost of high-grade examples doesn’t scare me off (e.g. no 1916 SLQ). So I have the 1857 large cent and half cent. Another fun year is 1873.
PS. Born in SF, just starting pioneers, Kellogg next up.
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Nice collection @lermish
@fastfreddie said:
An odd duck but it's 1857. I cannot remember what type of error this is.Looks like Grease filled dies... I like It!
It's all about what the people want...
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As I focus on FE’s, these two are among my faves:
The 66+ was formerly owned by Stewart Blay; it’s still the only 66+.
The S-9 was slightly lower graded than a 65+ I had, but I kept this one as I liked it better!No 1857 gold, but I do like the S mints, too, as it’s “local” for me. Nice thread!
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Copperindian II
Indy Eagles
Gold Rush
Bust CapsRetired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Nickelodeon
Early WalkersSuccessful transactions: redraider, winesteven, renomedphys, splitaces, oreville, ajaan, Cent1225, onlyroosies, justindan, blitzdude, DesertMoon, johnnyb, Heubschgold, SunshineRareCoins, ParadimeCoins, ndeagles, Southern_Knights, pcgsregistrycollector, BruceS
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Great idea for a set and great group of coins.
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@fastfreddie said:
An odd duck but it's 1857. I cannot remember what type of error this is.Struck on a tapered type 2 planchet if underweight, otherwise by vertically misaligned dies.
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Mr_Spud
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@MarkKelley said:
@fastfreddie said:
An odd duck but it's 1857. I cannot remember what type of error this is.Struck on a tapered type 2 planchet if underweight, otherwise by vertically misaligned dies.
"Tapered this planchet waws my first thought. Could probably tell for sure by weight.
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.0 -
5.2 grams. Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread!
It is not that life is short, but that you are dead for so very long.3 -
p45 and p40 cac respectively.
It is not that life is short, but that you are dead for so very long.14 -
@fastfreddie said:
5.2 grams. Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread!Not a hijacking at all, interesting stuff and relevant to 1857 coinage.
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
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Nice idea for a set! I have a 57-S $20 gold, from the so-called "Granite Lady Hoard." Unfortunately, I do not have a photo. (I need to get that remedied.)
David
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"1 -
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EF 40, ANACS soapbar
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@fastfreddie said:
5.2 grams. Sorry I didn't mean to hijack the thread!Sounds right for tapered thin.
Professional Numismatist, Retired. 55 year member ANA. Former ANA Senior Authenticator. Winner of four ANA Heath Literary Awards; three Wayte and Olga Raymond Literary Awards; Numismatist of the Year Award 2009, and ANA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020. Winner of the PNG's 2026 Robert Friedberg Award for "The Enigmatic Lincoln Cents of 1922," Available now from Whitman or Amazon.0 -
No gold that I own, just a couple of lousy circulated examples. Half dimes and Seated dimes from the personal collections, the quarter is from my inventory.
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From my website, I have photographed most of the minor issues of 1857 plus the Gold Dollar from Philadelphia:
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For anyone that wants to browse a more interactive version:
https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/Coins_by_the_Year/Coins_by_the_Year.html#1857
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And this is the layout for an 1857 year set a local collector requested. He elected not to pursue the larger gold coins.
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Custom album maker and numismatic photographer.
Need a personalized album made? Design it on the website below and I'll build it for you.
https://www.donahuenumismatics.com/.9 -
This resides in my “Gold Box” I understand that it’s not very valuable but i certainly appreciate that it saw real use…
VF209 -
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Happy July 4th!!!
She now sits in a PCGS 61 holder. When rotated slightly the obverse has very vibrant colors.
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Sold raw long ago:
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
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Most likely the rarest, lowest mintage and survivors, totally original, one of my all-time favorites!
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NEWP 1857:
As a dedicated FE collector with many 1857 varieties, I was looking for a companion 1/2C for the final year of that issue. This coin filled the bill nicely; not overly expensive & nice for the grade with good eye appeal. I especially liked the contrast between the obv & rev. The hunt continues for a 1857 large 1C with similar parameters, as that was also the final year for that issue.
“The thrill of the hunt never gets old”
PCGS Registry: Screaming Eagles
Copperindian
Copperindian II
Indy Eagles
Gold Rush
Bust CapsRetired sets: Soaring Eagles
Copperindian
Nickelodeon
Early WalkersSuccessful transactions: redraider, winesteven, renomedphys, splitaces, oreville, ajaan, Cent1225, onlyroosies, justindan, blitzdude, DesertMoon, johnnyb, Heubschgold, SunshineRareCoins, ParadimeCoins, ndeagles, Southern_Knights, pcgsregistrycollector, BruceS
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NO END IN SIGHT Liberty Head $2 1/2 Gold Basic Set, Circulation Strikes (1840-1907)
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/gold/liberty-head-2-1-gold-major-sets/liberty-head-2-1-gold-basic-set-circulation-strikes-1840-1907/publishedset/15628
March of Time - 27 Centuries in Gold
https://coins.www.collectors-society.com/WCM/CoinCustomSetView.aspx?s=365905 -
Not exactly gold or US for that matter but it is dated 1857:
Gene
Life member #369 of the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
Member of Canadian Association of Token Collectors
Collector of:
Canadian coins and pre-confederation tokens
Darkside proof/mint sets dated 1960
My Ebay4 -
Thank you
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1857 rb proof4
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