1852 $10 California Gold Eagle - U.S. Assay Office PCGS AU50 Ex.SS Central America

1852 $10 California Gold Eagle - U.S. Assay Office PCGS AU50 Ex.SS Central America

      We at AUCM are pleased to offer a specimen for the sophisticated collector who has a strong sense of history. The piece offered, an 1852 $10 California Gold Eagle, is a relic of both the California Gold Rush and   the shipwreck of the S.S. Central America.  The Central America saw significant loss of life the night of September 11-12, 1857; 425 of her 578 passengers and crew perished at sea in a category 2 hurricane with 105 MPH winds. Plus the sinking of 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) of gold was a major contributing factor to the economic Panic of 1857. Considering those events, this offering from AUCM, a $10 gold piece struck by the U.S. Assay Office in 1852, is rich with history.

      This design was struck in both 1852 and 1853. This issue is typically collected alongside regular U.S. gold coins of the period, for it is considered an official product of the federal government. The San Francisco specimens produced by Moffat & Co., which include the U.S. Assay coins struck under the auspices of U.S. Assayer Augustus Humbert, are among the most admired pioneer gold coins. It was in 1851 that the Moffat firm contracted with the U.S. Treasury to produce $50 gold coins under the authority of Humbert. On February 11, 1852, Moffat & Co. was authorized to mint $10 and $20 gold coins at the Assay Office, which was established as a temporary U.S. government mint before the establishment in 1854 of the San Francisco mint. The Moffat business formally became, or at least was closely associated with, the U.S. Assay Office. Contemporary documents give the impression that Moffat & Co. and the U.S. Assay Office were one and the same, although assayer Humbert had specific duties independent of Moffat. Even though the coins produced circulated extensively as money, they were called "ingots" for either legal or bureaucratic purposes.