1850 Dubosq & Co. Gold Half Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$27,600 MS63 01-26-2011 Stack's

Description

The 1850 Dubosq & Company gold half eagle is a five-dollar coin from Theodore Dubosq's California minting operation, representing the firm's core gold denomination. Dubosq brought significant technical expertise from his Philadelphia watchcase manufacturing business, and his California coins generally show better workmanship than those of many competing private minters who lacked similar metalworking backgrounds. The half eagle features Dubosq & Company identification with designs that reflect a level of die-cutting skill informed by Dubosq's Eastern manufacturing connections. The five-dollar denomination was the workhorse of California private gold coinage, large enough to contain meaningful gold value for commerce but small enough for practical everyday transactions. Dubosq's 1850 operations in San Francisco placed him in the thick of the private gold coinage competition. What distinguished Dubosq was his subsequent involvement with the U.S. Assay Office: when Augustus Humbert was appointed U.S. Assayer of Gold in California, Dubosq's equipment and expertise contributed to the establishment of the quasi-governmental assay operation that represented the first step toward federal control of California coinage.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. Fewer than 15 gold examples estimated. Dubosq gold coins are among the better-executed California private issues.

Cross References

Kagin reference series. Dubosq & Co., San Francisco. Later partnered with Augustus Humbert at U.S. Assay Office.