BG-1058, 1875/3 California Fractional Gold 50C, Indian Round NGC MS66DPL R3 TIED FINEST

Here’s your chance to acquire a California Fractional Gold overdate variety in Deep Prooflike, one that is tied for Finest in DPL. NGC has graded 3 as MS66DPL with none finer. This variety was produced by Christopher Ferdinand Mohrig, a German-born San Francisco jeweler. The obverse of this variety presents an attractive and creatively designed Indian head, one that is not a slavish copy of the ubiquitous Indian Head cent of the 1870s. Surrounding the Indian Head are 13 stars. The reverse offers a well-crafted wreath with berries, within which is found 1/2 DOLLAR CAL. Both sides have flashy, deeply reflective fields and frosty devices. It was on August 10, 1876, that Mohrig was arrested by the Secret Service for violating the 1864 law against private coinage. His stock and dies were seized and melted, which may explain the rarity of his varieties such as this one.

A graphic chart of San Francisco in 1875, the year this variety was struck.