1853 Proof Assay 900 Gold Double Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$11,750 PR61 03-15-2018 eBay

Description

The 1853 proof U.S. Assay Office twenty-dollar gold piece with 900 fineness is among the rarest coins in the entire California territorial gold series. Proof strikings from the Assay Office are exceedingly scarce, as the operation was focused on producing circulating coinage rather than collector pieces. The proof finish reveals the full beauty of the double eagle design with mirror fields and sharply defined devices. The 900 fineness marking on a proof striking indicates this piece was produced as a specimen or presentation coin to demonstrate the Assay Office’s achievement of federal gold standard purity. As a proof from the final year of Assay Office operations, this coin represents both the technical pinnacle and the conclusion of California’s remarkable territorial gold coinage experiment. The San Francisco Mint’s opening in 1854 would render such semi-official operations unnecessary.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Proof Assay Office double eagles are known in only a handful of examples. Major auction appearances are landmark events.

Cross References

PCGS #10014; U.S. Assay Office of Gold, San Francisco; 900 fineness proof