1860 Denver City Five Dollar - K-2, Copper Assay

Coin Details

Description

The 1860 Denver City Gold Five Dollar copper assay piece is one of three known copper trial strikings from the short-lived Denver City Assay Office. This territorial institution was established to provide assaying services to miners in the Pikes Peak region, and these copper pieces represent its only known numismatic legacy. The Denver City Assay Office operated briefly during the height of the Colorado gold rush, serving the essential function of verifying the purity and weight of gold dust and nuggets brought in by miners. The copper assay pieces were trial strikings to test the dies before committing gold blanks. Denver City Assay Office pieces are among the rarest and least documented of all Colorado territorial gold-related items. Their attribution and study continue to evolve as numismatic researchers uncover new information about the brief operation of this frontier institution.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Denver City Assay Office copper trial pieces are known in only a handful of examples across all varieties.

Cross References

NGC #31357