1849 $2.50 Mormon MS(PCGS#10259)

The June 2010 Baltimore Auction

拍卖行

Bowers & Merena

批号

3443

等级

VF35

价格

367,152

详细说明

1849 Mormon $2.50 Gold. K-1. Rarity-5+. VF-35 (PCGS). CAC--Gold Label. OGH--First Generation. Pushed West from Ohio during the 1830s due to their religious beliefs, the Mormons were destined to play a crucial role in the settlement of the American Frontier. For by the time James Marshall--a Mormon, no less--discovered gold in California, the Mormon community was already well established in the Salt Lake Valley. This placed them in an excellent position to serve as guides and provisioners for the vast throngs of overlanders heading West during the late 1840s and 1850s to seek their fortune in the California gold fields.<br />     Some of the gold mined in those fields was brought back to the Salt Lake Valley, initially by members of the Mormon Battalion that found themselves in California at the end of the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. To process this gold and provide at least a modicum of circulating coinage for the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormon church established a small minting operation in late 1848. The first coins were forthcoming in 1849 and included gold pieces in $2.50, $5, $10 and $20 denominations. Later issues are also known dated 1850 and 1860, the latter struck from Colorado gold.<br />     Worthy of a close look (and then a strong bid), this premium-quality example seems destined for certification at the EF grade level. We see only light wear overall, softness of detail to the central obverse being a function of strike and not circulation. Considerable satin luster remains, as well, and there are no bothersome abrasions to report. With lovely olive-gold color and premium-quality surfaces, this is one of the most appealing 1849 Mormon $2.50 gold coins that this cataloger has ever handled.