Ancient Roman coins
14k+ coins · up to $50,000
Browse Catalogue
Explore popular collecting categories, from ancient Roman to rare American.
Want to check your coins value? Get it evaluated first, then list to verified buyers.
MOBILE APP
Identify coins using your camera. Your collection syncs across devices.
1M+
Daily users
4.3+★
User feedback rating
1.5M+
Items cataloged
20K+
Community members
Estimated Value
Based on recent market data
$86,875
Name or Denominations
1851 "880" $50 RE Augustus Humbert
Issuer
United States
Ruler
NA
Year of Minting
1851
Currency
Dollar (1792-date)
Shape
Round
Rarity
Rare
Weight
83.6 g
Diameter
44.5 mm
Thickness
5.5 mm
Material
Gold
Shape
Round
Edge Type
Reeded
Technique
Struck
Front design
Augustus Humbert, Director of the U.S. Assay Office in San Francisco, is depicted.
Back design
A bald eagle with wings spread is shown, with the denomination "50" below.
Year of Minting
1851
Ruler
NA
Mint location
Philadelphia
Mint mark
NA
Orientation
Coin alignment
Inscriptions
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | 50 DOLLARS | 1851 | 880 THOUS
Context
: This is the second generation of $50 "slugs" produced under the auspices of Augustus Humbert, who ran the U.S. Assay Office of gold in San Francisco, California. Unlike the various private firms producing their own ingots and coins during this period, the U.S. Assay Office was an officially sanctioned operation. This "new and improved" version of the $50 slug eliminated some of the time-consuming operations involved with the production of the earliest versions. Most notably, the legends that had to be applied by hand to the edge faces in the first issues were now engraved into the face (obverse) die. This one improvement eliminated seven single steps in production. Also, the date (1851) and fineness (880) appeared in the die instead of having to be punched in by hand, eliminating two more steps. Reeding replaced the former edge lettering to prevent clipping or shaving. Don Kagin assigned this version K-5 in his 1981 "Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States." Kagin listed this variety as Low R-5, representing approximately 75-100 survivors. Because of their heavy weight, many of these coins have bruises or dents on the corners, thus they should all be examined carefully for evidence of repair. High grade examples are very rare, with only a few Uncirculated examples known. The finest known example is an amazing NGC MS65* sold by Bowers & Merena for a whopping $460,000 back in 2008.
Rarity
Rare
Coin type
California Gold (1849-1855)
In circulation
NA
Demonetized
No
Marketplace listings
0
Subscribe to Premium
Unlock more coin details with Premium.
