BG- 527, 1854 California Gold Rush Circulating Fractional Gold $1, Liberty Octagonal NGC AU Details R7

This is a very rare California Fractional Gold variety, for PCGS reports that there are only 7 to 8 of the BG-527 known today. This is an 1854 California Fractional Gold $1 piece, Liberty Octagonal, with the initials (which could be considered a mintmark) ‘DERI’ upon the reverse. Rarity-7. Produced by M. Deriberpe in 1853-1854.

Obverse: 8 stars. The 1st star is directly below point of the neck, tip of diadem point to 4th star at border. Reverse: *CALIFORNIA GOLD* and ‘DERI’ outside of the beaded circle; ‘CA’ of CALIFORNIA and ‘ER’ of DERI join the border; ‘1 DOLLAR 1854’ within. The date is spread out as: 1 85 4.

Deriberpie was a private die cutter/engraver who had a shop at 58 Kearny Street in San Francisco. He cut dies for jewelers Nouzillet & Routhier. Deriberpie and the other two men were the subject of some controversy in San Francisco. They were arrested in 1853 for counterfeiting and gave quite creative versions of their names to the police: Don Perpi, Senor Nougellet and Isidore Routeer (!).

San Francisco Harbor in 1851. Photo: Wikipedia.