1860 Clark, Gruber & Co. Twenty Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$690,000 MS64 01-05-2006 Heritage Auctions

Description

The 1860 Clark, Gruber & Company Twenty Dollar Gold Piece is the highest denomination produced by any Colorado territorial mint, representing enormous purchasing power in the frontier economy. The double eagle was designed for major commercial transactions such as purchasing mining claims, financing supply shipments, and settling large debts. The obverse features a coronet Liberty head with "CLARK GRUBER & CO." around the periphery, closely following the federal Liberty Head double eagle design. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield, "PIKES PEAK GOLD" identifying the metal source, and "TWENTY D." for the denomination. Clark, Gruber & Company was one of only a handful of private mints in American history to produce a twenty-dollar gold denomination, placing them alongside Augustus Humbert's U.S. Assay Office in San Francisco among the most ambitious territorial coinage operations. The federal government's 1862 purchase of the Clark Gruber mint facility was a direct recognition of the quality they had established.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Estimated 20-35 surviving examples. The $20 denomination is scarcer than the $5 and $10. Auction prices typically range from $30,000 to $100,000.

Cross References

Kagin K-4; NGC #31183