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

Coin Details

Description

The 1860 Denver City Gold Five Dollar copper assay piece, NGC #31327, is a die variety or state variant of the copper trial strikings produced by the Denver City Assay Office. The distinct NGC catalog number indicates meaningful differences from the other known copper assay pieces, whether in die state, striking characteristics, or surface treatment. The Denver City Assay Office copper trials all share the basic design elements associated with the institution's five-dollar denomination. These pieces provide the only physical evidence of the dies prepared for this frontier assay operation. The existence of multiple catalog varieties among the extremely small population of Denver City Assay Office pieces indicates that these trials were produced over a period of time rather than in a single striking event, or that multiple die pairs were prepared for the operation.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. This variety is known in only a few examples.

Cross References

NGC #31327