1853 "900" U.S. Assay Office Gold Double Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$129,250 MS65 01-08-2014 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1853 U.S. Assay Office twenty-dollar gold piece with 900 fineness represents the achievement of full federal-standard gold purity in the Assay Office’s final year of operation. The 900 fine marking indicated that California’s gold refining had finally reached parity with the established eastern mints. This coin is among the last territorial gold issues produced before the San Francisco Mint rendered private and semi-official coinage obsolete. Its 900 fineness distinguished it from the slightly lower-purity 884 version and represented the culmination of the progressive refining improvements that had characterized the Humbert and Assay Office series. The 1853 date gives this coin particular historical resonance as one of the final products of the extraordinary four-year experiment in quasi-federal coinage that bridged the gap between California’s chaotic private minting era and the establishment of a permanent federal mint on the Pacific Coast.

Rarity Notes

Rare. The 900 fineness double eagle is slightly more available than the 884 version. Approximately 50-80 examples survive.

Cross References

PCGS #10013; NGC #31109; U.S. Assay Office of Gold, San Francisco; 900 fineness