Liberty, Washington Fractional Gold Copy
Nysoto
Posts: 3,824 ✭✭✭✭✭
"You're at liberty here", said Gus Nelson to a group of miners at his new cabin around 1870, telling them to sit anywhere they want for the meeting. The miners selected "Liberty" as the name of their new town. The area has been mined ever since, with the largest nugget recorded in the state of Washington found here at 67 ounces. This is also one of the few places worldwide to have wire gold, the oldtimers say one of only two areas in the world to have the gold in its beautiful crystalline form.
I have a gold token purchased a few years ago in octagonal shape, 9.5 mm in diameter, similar in size to 25 Cent California Fractional Gold. It is cast gold, with a seam on the edge. The token is listed as rare in the Washington State Token book, without a source listed. I went to Liberty last week to find out more about the token. I tracked down the town historian, who said he has seen only one, and does not know of the origin of the token.
It is possible the tokens were made for a centennial celebration or souvenirs, but it is odd that more oldtimers in the area do not know of them. If anyone has seen one, or has seen a similar looking Cal Fractional gold copy with the same pattern, let me know.
Liberty wire gold
An old abandoned backhoe. Liberty has about 20-30 full time residents, with many old mining cabins in the area.
edited to add more descriptive title
I have a gold token purchased a few years ago in octagonal shape, 9.5 mm in diameter, similar in size to 25 Cent California Fractional Gold. It is cast gold, with a seam on the edge. The token is listed as rare in the Washington State Token book, without a source listed. I went to Liberty last week to find out more about the token. I tracked down the town historian, who said he has seen only one, and does not know of the origin of the token.
It is possible the tokens were made for a centennial celebration or souvenirs, but it is odd that more oldtimers in the area do not know of them. If anyone has seen one, or has seen a similar looking Cal Fractional gold copy with the same pattern, let me know.
Liberty wire gold
An old abandoned backhoe. Liberty has about 20-30 full time residents, with many old mining cabins in the area.
edited to add more descriptive title
Robert Scot: Engraving Liberty - biography of US Mint's first chief engraver
0
Comments
I do like Cal gold pieces and have gone through many. I've never see this guy though....
Paul
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), Downtown1974, Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Proofcollection, Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
mike's site
Top 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), Downtown1974, Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Proofcollection, Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
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
Pictured below are the two varieties of this token, as well as M.E. Hart's gold Washington tokens. My example of your token has no plating left.
edit: spelling
Very interesting info & tokens.
With the head of the first token matching the M.E. Hart Washington tokens, these could possibly have been varieties made by M.E. Hart, as an octagonal Alaskan Indian token is on a price list on the Locke site.