BG- 528, 1854 California Gold Rush Circulating Fractional Gold $1, Liberty Octagonal Gold PCGS AU53 R6

Here’s a rare California Fractional Gold piece to add to your collection. Only 20 of this issue have been graded by PCGS. Of those, there are 4 that carry the grade of AU53 with 15 finer. This specimen is an 1854 BG-528 California Fractional Gold $1, Liberty Octagonal, with the initials ‘DERI’ on reverse. Rarity-6. Crafted and produced by M. Deriberpe, 1853-1854.

The obverse presents the ubiquitous Liberty head inspired by the federal issue of the day. The obverse also features 8 stars, with the 1st star directly below point of neck, and the tip of diadem points to 4th star at border (which is the same as BG-527).

The reverse offers ‘* CALIFORNIA GOLD *’ and ‘DERI’ outside of the beaded circle. The entire legend is close to the beaded circle. The L is an I and spells ‘GOID’. The 'DERI' is the jeweler’s mint mark and is short for M. Deriberpie, a private engraver who had a shop at 58 Kearny Street in San Francisco. He also cut dies for jewelers Nouzillet & Routhier, who also had their shop at 58 Kearny Street in the rough-and-ready San Francisco of the Gold Rush.

Forty-niner panning for gold during Gold Rush. Photo: Wikipedia.