Darkside Private Gold

Regulated · March 21, 2006 11:50AM

Silvereagle82 · March 21, 2006 12:00PM

Verrry Interesting

1jester · March 21, 2006 4:16PM

I'd even say, reeeeally interesting!

IlikeZARcoins · March 21, 2006 4:58PM

That'd do it.

1jester · March 21, 2006 6:29PM

I just LOVE the toning on that token. Is it pure gold?? I'd assume so, but then there are people who claim that pure gold can't tone.

Rickc300 · March 21, 2006 6:48PM

I like it a lot! Now that I have seen it can you give me a little history on it?
TIA,
Rick

theboz11 · March 21, 2006 6:57PM

Never seen one, that one is really sharp

Stork · March 21, 2006 7:08PM

What's the story behind it?

Cathy

bonkrood · March 21, 2006 10:09PM

African Popper ?

Lynch · March 21, 2006 11:49PM

<< <i>African Popper ? >>

Julio Popper. Extremely rare El Paramo, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina private gold issue, unpriced in Janson.

Regulated · March 22, 2006 1:32AM

The piece is an excessively rare 5-Gramo, struck in El Paramo, Tierra del Fuego by Julius Popper, a Romanian born adventurer. Popper and a band of mercenaries established themselves in Patagonia as the Lavaderos de Oro del Sud (gold washers of the South), and issued their own coins and stamps. They also carried out their own brutal form of martial law, essentially warring with anyone that encroached upon their gold-panning operations.

This is one of only three reported examples of Popper's 5-Gramo struck at El Paramo. Of the other two, one is apparently lost, and the other is permanently impounded in an Argentine museum's collection.

The toning on this piece is the result of a relatively high concentration of silver and copper in the unrefined gold that Popper used in the pieces. You find similar toning on California Fractional pieces that were struck from raw gold (refined from gold dust).

Refrema · March 22, 2006 1:47AM

The story behind this piece makes it very interesting.

Are there other denominations, and do you know how this piece survived?

Bob

Regulated · March 22, 2006 1:56AM

Popper also struck Gramo pieces and issued Gramos and 5-Gramos in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires pieces were struck using modern equipment and lack the crude charm of the El Paramo issues.

I'm unsure as to how this piece managed to survive, although I suspect it may have been part of a group that was sent to a member of the Argentine military in 1889 - that would explain the fact that the piece is essentially as made.

HenriIII · March 22, 2006 4:06AM

Learn something new her every day. Great history lesson.

Refrema · March 22, 2006 7:21AM

Thanks for the additional information about this piece.

It is learning the history associated with coins like this that make Numismatics so interesting.

Bob

Darkside Private Gold

Comments