1852 California Gold $50 - "887" $50 U.S. Assay Office

Coin Details

Auction Record

$180,000 AU55+ 11-02-2022 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1852 U.S. Assay Office fifty-dollar piece with 887 fineness represents the standard issue after the formal transition from Humbert’s personal operation to the institutional U.S. Assay Office. The design retains the iconic octagonal format and engine-turned reverse but now bears the official U.S. ASSAY OFFICE OF GOLD inscription. This institutional rebranding was more than cosmetic. It signaled the federal government’s increasing commitment to regulating California’s gold coinage and foreshadowed the establishment of the San Francisco Mint, which would open in 1854. The Assay Office operated as a bridge between the purely private minting era and full federal mint operations. The 887 fineness marking indicates gold refined to a higher standard than the earliest Humbert issues, bringing the gold content closer to the federal 900 fine standard. These massive octagonal pieces continued to serve primarily in large commercial transactions and banking operations.

Rarity Notes

Rare. The standard 1852 U.S. Assay Office fifty-dollar piece is scarcer than most Humbert varieties. Approximately 30-50 examples survive.

Cross References

PCGS #10016; NGC #31103; U.S. Assay Office of Gold, San Francisco