1849 Liberty Head Half Eagle - Bowie

Coin Details

Auction Record

$353,000 AU58 01-01-2001 Stack's

Description

The 1849 J.H. Bowie Liberty Head Half Eagle is the gold five dollar issue attributed to this individual California Gold Rush coiner. J.H. Bowie operated as a private assayer and minter in the earliest period of the California Gold Rush, producing coins that adapted the familiar Liberty Head design used on official United States coinage. The choice to imitate the federal design was common among private California coiners, as it lent an air of legitimacy and familiarity to their products in a market where trust was essential to acceptance. Bowie's five dollar pieces are struck from native California gold and bear the Liberty Head design on the obverse with the Bowie name incorporated into the reverse design. The half eagle denomination was the workhorse of the California territorial gold economy, large enough to represent meaningful value but small enough for everyday transactions in the mining camps and burgeoning towns of the goldfields. Private five dollar pieces circulated alongside federal half eagles, Mexican coins, and various other private issues in the diverse monetary landscape of Gold Rush California. The quality of the Bowie half eagle strikes falls in the middle range of California territorial productions, better than the crudest camp-made pieces but less refined than the products of established firms like Moffat & Company or Kellogg & Company. This intermediate quality is consistent with what might be expected from a capable but modestly equipped individual operator. Bowie's decision to include his name on the coins indicates confidence in his reputation and the quality of his gold, as poorly received coins bearing an identifiable maker's name could damage future business.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Surviving examples are counted in the low double digits at most. The Bowie half eagle is one of the scarcer California territorial issues.

Cross References

PCGS #10035; NGC ID 31119; Kagin listing; related to Bowie K-1 copper dollar (NGC 31262)