California Gold Rush Through Numismatic Eyes 41 min (Item: 33328)

California Gold Rush Through Numismatic Eyes

Denis Loring

The California Gold Rush was one of the seminal events in our nation's history. Denis retells the Gold Rush as it was reflected in the coinage of the time. More broadly, he shows how a coin collection can be assembled specifically to tell a story. This presentation discusses and shows:

• how the Gold Rush began in 1848 and the first gold coin was the regular issue $2.5 Liberty gold coin that was counterstamped "CAL"
• Moffat & Co. gold bar issued in 1849 that surfaced at the Farouk Sale in 1954
• Morris gold half eagle issue of 1849
• how the Mint decided a $20 coin was needed and began to strike them in 1849
• Augustus Humbert chosen as assayer who contracted Moffat to strike $50 slugs
• evolution of the first fractional gold half-dollar struck by Joseph Brothers in June of 1852
• the Moffat $20 gold issue of 1853
• need for a mint in San Francisco and the issue of the 1854-S $20 Liberty
• John Kellogg who issued a $20 piece in 1854 & 1855
• Wass Moliter who in 1857 struck gold $5 & $10 and finally a round $50

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