1849 $5 Moffat & Co. MS(PCGS#10240)

1849 $5 Moffat & Co. MS (PCGS#10240)

August 2011 Chicago ANA - Rarities Night

详细说明: 1849 Moffat & Co. $5 Gold. K-4. Rarity-5. MS-62 (PCGS). CAC. One of the most important private minting firms to service specie-starved Gold Rush California, Moffat & Co. was so highly regarded among the contemporary public that it eventually received the federal contract to serve as the United States Assay Office, itself a predecessor to the San Francisco Mint. Issuing its first coins in 1849, Moffat & Co. produced both five dollar and ten dollar gold pieces in that year. While fairly obtainable for a California Gold Rush issue, the 1849 Moffat & Co. five is almost always encountered worn and/or with significant impairments, attesting to the extensive commercial use seen by the issue. Solidly graded Mint State survivors are rare, as here. Apart from the often seen softness of strike in the center of the obverse, this lovely BU is boldly defined from a rather well executed strike. The color is a mostly medium-gold shade, with glints of faint-rose iridescence tightly confined to the borders. Minor handling marks scattered about do little more than define the grade. Easily among the finest and most visually appealing examples of the issue we have offered in recent years, and a coin that is sure to see spirited bidding at auction.