1847 '$10' California Counter Brass Gaming Gold Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$336 MS63 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1847 brass gaming counter is designed to resemble a ten-dollar gold eagle, used in card games and gambling establishments as a substitute for actual money. The "California Counter" designation and gold eagle design connect it to the imagery of American gold coinage. Brass gaming counters imitating American gold coins were produced in quantity during the nineteenth century. The 1847 date predates the California Gold Rush by one year, so the California reference may be aspirational or the piece was produced slightly later. The production of commemorative medals in America spans from colonial-era pieces struck in European workshops to modern issues produced with twenty-first century digital design technology and advanced minting equipment. Gaming counters occupy a fascinating niche in exonumia, documenting the pervasive gambling culture of nineteenth-century America.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Brass gaming counter imitating a $10 gold eagle. Gaming counters from this era survive in modest numbers.

Cross References

PCGS #641234; California Counter; $10 Gold Eagle; Brass Gaming Token; 1847