BG- 401 G50C 1852 California Fractional, Liberty Round NGC MS64 R3

1852 Gold 50C Liberty Head Round, Rarity-3.

• Period One - circulating issues between 1852 and 1856.
• Redbook Type:
• RedBook Collectors Sequence: RB-
• Made by Joseph Brothers.

Obverse: Narrow head, lowest three curls pointed; 13 stars; 1st star to left of point of bust, coronet points between 5th & 6th stars, closer to 5th.

Reverse: HALF DOL. CALIFORNIA GOLD. outside of wreath; 1852 inside; 10 berries on each branch, all paired except bottom and top; each branch ends with 3 berries on top.

CCJ 11; EML 1; Burnie 11; Lee 2B; D319.

Historical Note: Two examples were recovered by divers from the S.S. Winfield Scott shipwreck. The S.S. Winfield Scott was operated by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company to carry passengers and cargo between San Francisco and Panama.  On December 1, 1853, she left San Francisco bound for Panama with about 400 passengers and $884,861.50 in treasure.  Two days out she was caught in a storm and ran aground 30 miles west of Santa Barbara.  The passengers and most of the treasure were rescued.  What remained were mainly items of small value abandoned by the passengers in their haste to evacuate the sinking ship.