1849 Dubosq & Co., Copper DT Gold Quarter Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$32,200 MS62 07-27-2008 Stack's

Description

This copper die trial of the 1849 Dubosq & Company gold quarter eagle is a test striking from the dies intended for the firm's two-and-a-half dollar gold coin. Theodore Dubosq, a prominent Philadelphia watchcase maker, sent minting equipment and dies to California in 1849, establishing one of the more technically capable private minting operations of the early Gold Rush. Dubosq's Philadelphia background gave him access to skilled die sinkers and metalworking equipment superior to what was available on the California frontier. The quarter eagle denomination represents the smallest gold coin in Dubosq's known production range. This copper die trial preserves the design in excellent detail, as the softer copper metal flows more completely into die recesses than gold. Die trials are production artifacts created during the normal minting process to verify die alignment, impression depth, and design quality before committing precious gold planchets. Dubosq's later partnership with Augustus Humbert at the U.S. Assay Office in San Francisco connected his enterprise to the transition from purely private coinage toward quasi-governmental oversight of California's gold money supply.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Copper die trials from Dubosq & Co. survive in very small numbers. Important as contemporaneous production artifacts.

Cross References

Kagin reference series. Theodore Dubosq, Philadelphia watchcase maker turned California minter.