1860 Mormon Five Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$168,000 MS61 12-21-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1860 Mormon Gold Half Eagle is a later issue from the Utah Territory that demonstrates the continued production of Mormon gold coinage into the pre-Civil War era, approximately a decade after the initial Deseret Mint operations. The gap between the well-documented 1849-1850 production and this 1860 issue raises questions about continuity of minting operations and the circumstances under which this coin was produced. By 1860, Utah Territory had developed significantly from the isolated frontier settlement of the late 1840s. Federal authority had been asserted more strongly, the Utah War of 1857-58 had tested the relationship between the Mormon community and the federal government, and the broader American economy was on the brink of the Civil War that would transform the nation's monetary system. The production of a five-dollar gold piece in this context indicates either continued private minting activity or a commemorative/special-purpose issue. The 1860 half eagle maintains design continuity with the earlier Mormon gold issues, preserving the All-Seeing Eye obverse and clasped hands reverse that defined the series from its inception. This visual consistency across an eleven-year span underscores the enduring importance of these religious and fraternal symbols within Latter-day Saint material culture. The 1860 date is among the latest in the Mormon territorial gold series and represents one of the final chapters in organized private gold coinage in Utah Territory.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. One of the scarcest dates in the Mormon gold series. Very few examples are known, and the issue is poorly documented in contemporary records.