1854 $20 California Gold Double Eagle - Kellogg & Co. NGC AU58

Kellogg & Co. was one of the respected, and among the last, of the private mints to operate in California.  John G. Kellogg of Auburn, New York arrived in San Francisco on October 12, 1849. He immediately went to work for Moffat & Co. and stayed on when the firm was reorganized as Curtis, Perry & Ward to operate as the U. S. Assay Office of Gold. When the Assay Office closed in December, 1853, Kellogg opened his own assaying business, aided by G. F. Richter who also had been employed by the U. S. Assay Office. Augustus Humbert who strongly commended them "to the confidence and patronage of the public" approved the new partnership. Humbert never had any reason to regret his recommendation.

The scarcity of gold coins with which to carry on ordinary business was as marked as ever. The Assay Office was in the progress of being transformed into the new Branch Mint and none of the other private mints were any longer in operation, with good reason.  In January 1854 the principal businessmen of San Francisco and Sacramento petitioned Kellogg and Richter to issue coins of their own. This they agreed to do, with their firs $20.00 coin appearing in February 1854.

The Kellogg pieces filled a vital need in the early economic life of California. The gold production at the mines had reached enormous proportions and the new San Francisco Mint was very slow in getting ingot significant production. During 1855 the Kellogg coins appeared in even greater quantity in spite of an improvement in the mint’s own output.  No coins were issued after that date. Kellogg himself lived to become one of the State’s most respected citizens.