1856-S 50C Liberty Seated Half Dollar NGC F Details w/J.L. Polhemus/Druggist Counterstamp-!

Famous Counterstamp obverse J.L. Polhemus / Druggist / 190 J Cor 7 Sacramento CAL. This is a VERY COOL item from the California Gold Rush. Please take a look at the imaged page from the Christies' December 2000 auction catalog. One of the lots sold had the J.L. Polhemus/Druggist counterstamp upon it!

Two gold coins from the wreck of the S.S. Central America carry the J.L. Polhemus counterstamp: an 1855-S Double Eagle and an 1854-O Quarter Eagle. A circulated 1857-S D (not from the Central America) also carries the famous counterstamp.

This 1854-O Quarter Eagle graded PCGS XF45 was retrieved from the wreck of the SS Central America of 1857. It has the J.L. Polhemus/Druggist counterstamp.

This is another avenue for Gold Rush enthusiasts to pursue, and it is one that won't break the bank! Collecting J.L. Polhemus counterstamped coins are a fascinating way to learn exactly which coins circulated in Sacramento in the Old West during the Gold Rush. The majority of the survivors are Liberty Seated quarters and half dollars from the San Francisco Mint. Among the counterstamped U.S. coins are also Capped Bust half dollars and Liberty Seated dimes.  

However, coins from around the world also made their way to J.L. Polhemus's shop, where they were given his now famous counterstamp (that was an excellent form of advertising back in the 1850s). Among them are:

France 1830-A 5 Franc

Bolivia 1830-JL 4 Sueldos

East India Company (India/East Indies) 1840

Republic of Milan 1791 1 Lira

Chile 1852 20 Centavos

Colombia 1849 2 Reales

Peru 1817 2 Reales

England 1826 1 Shilling

England 1819 1 Shilling