1855 Proof California Gold $50 - 1855' $50 Kellogg, Comm Restrike S.S. Central America

Coin Details

Auction Record

$15,600 PR67DCAM 03-05-2019 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1855 proof Kellogg & Company fifty-dollar gold piece produced as a commercial restrike from S.S. Central America dies represents the proof-quality version of the restrike program. While the business-strike restrikes (also from recovered original dies) were produced in larger quantities, these proof versions received special attention in striking, resulting in superior surface quality and sharper design detail. The S.S. Central America carried approximately 21 tons of gold when it sank during a hurricane in September 1857, representing one of the greatest maritime treasure losses in American history. The recovery of not just gold but actual minting equipment, including Kellogg dies, was a numismatic revelation that added an extraordinary chapter to the California territorial gold story. This proof restrike allows collectors to experience the full beauty of Albert Kuner’s fifty-dollar design as it was intended to appear, with proof surfaces that reveal details invisible on circulated original strikings.

Rarity Notes

Limited mintage proof restrike from recovered original dies. Collected both as a Kellogg issue and as an S.S. Central America artifact.

Cross References

PCGS #10238; NGC #16998; Kellogg & Co.; S.S. Central America; proof commercial restrike