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FINEST KNOWN OF THIS RARE DIE TRIAL! Extraordinarily well-preserved 1861 $20 Copper Die Trial from the fabled Denver Clark Gruber & Co. mint. The 1861 Clark, Gruber & Co. $20 copper die trial is a scarce off-metal strike created to test dies for the firm’s twenty-dollar gold coins. Operating in Denver before any federal mint existed in the region, Clark, Gruber filled the need for reliable local specie during the Colorado gold rush.
According to PCGS, this example is the finest known, and the graded pop is only 5!
The obverse presents a crisp Liberty head modeled after the U.S. double eagle, with PIKES PEAK on Liberty’s coronet, and the date 1861 below. The reverse faithfully adapts the federal design: a heraldic eagle clutching arrows and olive branch, with stars and rays above and TWENTY D. below. CLARK GRUBER & CO DENVER is around.
Graded PCGS MS-64, this example shows warm brown surfaces with hints of original red, sharp details, and only minor contact marks. Fewer than a dozen copper die trials are known across all Clark, Gruber denominations from their brief 1860–1863 operation, before the facility was sold to the United States government. These pieces remain important artifacts of territorial private coinage.
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‘’AU Capital Management, LLC is a leading supplier of rare coins, paper money and precious metals. Committed to authenticity, they strive to serve customers with high-quality goods they'll treasure..’’
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