(1830) Templeton Reid Ten Dollar Gold Piece - No Date, 40 Stars

Coin Details

Description

The No Date Templeton Reid Ten Dollar Gold Piece (Kagin K-4) is one of the most elusive pieces in American numismatics, with only three known specimens, all held in institutional collections. Struck by Templeton Reid at his private mint in Gainesville, Georgia during the summer of 1830, this variety is distinguished from its dated counterpart (K-3) by the absence of a date on the obverse, replaced by an arrangement of forty stars encircling the inscription "GEORGIA GOLD." The reverse die is shared with the dated K-3 variety, displaying "TEN DOLLARS" with "TEMPLETON REID" above and "ASSAYER" below. Reid established what is considered the first private mint under the United States Constitution, operating from July through October 1830 during the Georgia Gold Rush. His coins were struck from native Georgia gold at approximately .942 fineness, higher than the .917 federal standard, as confirmed by Philadelphia Mint testing in 1842. The mint's operation was cut short after an anonymous critic writing as "No Assayer" publicly questioned Reid's assaying abilities, despite the superior purity of his coins. The three surviving K-4 specimens are all housed at the Smithsonian Institution, including one proof-like uncirculated example from the Lilly Collection showing slightly prooflike surfaces and visible double-striking in the letters "GEO" of "GEORGIA" and "GO" of "GOLD." This variety has never appeared at public auction, making it effectively uncollectable by private individuals. Most of Reid's original production, estimated at 1,400 to 1,600 total coins across all denominations, was melted at the Philadelphia Mint in 1831.

Rarity Notes

Only 3 known specimens, all impounded in institutional collections (Smithsonian). Never appeared at public auction. Among the rarest issues in all American numismatics.

Cross References

Kagin K-4; PCGS #10329; NGC #31005