1849 Pacific Company Five Dollar - Copper, K-4, Gilt

Coin Details

Description

This gilt copper striking of the 1849 Pacific Company five-dollar piece, cataloged as K-4, is a base-metal collectible that reproduces the half eagle design with a thin gold wash over a copper core. The K-4 designation in the Kagin reference identifies this specific die combination and metal variant within the broader Pacific Company series. The gilding gives the piece an outward golden appearance, though the copper substrate is readily apparent at the edges and on any high points where the thin gold layer has worn through. Gilt copper pieces from the California territorial era served multiple potential purposes: they was die trials testing a new die pair, presentation pieces demonstrating the design to potential backers, or later collectible restrikes produced for the numismatic market. For the Pacific Company specifically, the existence of multiple die varieties in copper and gilt copper raises questions about the firm's operations that remain unresolved. Regardless of their precise origin, K-4 gilt copper specimens are valued by territorial gold collectors as representative pieces from one of the most enigmatic issuers of the Gold Rush era.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Gilt copper K-4 specimens are scarce but somewhat more available than the gold originals.

Cross References

K-4 (Kagin). Pacific Company $5 gilt copper variant.