1849 G$1 Pacific Company

Weight

NA

Diameter

NA

Thickness

NA

Material

Gold

Shape

Round

Edge Type

Reeded

Technique

Struck

Front design

Liberty Head

Back design

Eagle

Year of Minting

1849

Ruler

NA

Mint location

Philadelphia

Mint mark

NA

Orientation

Coin alignment

Inscriptions

PACIFIC COMPANY | ONE DOLLAR

Context

: Only two examples are known in gold of the 1849 Pacific Company $1. The first example was discovered in 2000 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by a treaure hunter using a metal detector. That example is circulated and has two large solder spots on the reverse where a mount had once been attached. The second example was an unusual discovery, because it had always been presented as a Gilt Silver piece (even by collectors Virgil Brand and Jay Roe) and was presented in a similar fashion in a 2002 Bowers & Merena sale. The buyer of the coin recognized it as made of gold, a fact confirmed by a later metallurgical analysis, the end result being a very substantial profit. The first piece (ex mount) was analyzed and found to contain 72.2% gold, 16.8% silver, 11% copper. The second piece was analyzed and found to contain 64.5% gold, 16.1% silver, 8.9% copper, 5.3% silicon, 4.0% aluminum, and 1.1% iron. The difference in the purity of the gold can be attributed to variations in the quality of the native ore out of which these coins were made. Sources and/or recommended reading: American Numismatic Rarities 8/2006 sale of the Old West & Franklinton Collections, lot 1128

Rarity

Ultra rare

Coin type

California Gold (1849-1855)

In circulation

NA

Demonetized

No

Marketplace listings

0