1871 Token TC-506174 Bronze 35mm K-8 California Counter Gold Double Eagle

Coin Details

Auction Record

$48 UNC Details 04-03-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1871 California Counter Gold Double Eagle is a 35mm bronze token cataloged as TC-506174 and Kagin K-8, representing one of the latest-dated items associated with the California territorial gold series. This piece is not a circulating gold coin but rather a bronze counter or gaming token that borrows the designs and symbolism of California gold double eagles. The counter designation indicates it was produced for use in gambling establishments, mercantile counting operations, or as a novelty item rather than as a medium of exchange. By 1871, the era of private gold coinage in California was long past, as the San Francisco Mint had been operating since 1854 and private coinage had been effectively outlawed. However, the romance and mystique of California Gold Rush coinage persisted, and items that evoked the territorial gold era continued to be produced for various purposes. This bronze counter replicates the general appearance of a gold twenty dollar piece at 35mm diameter. Gaming tokens and counters were widely used in the saloons, gambling halls, and gentlemen's clubs of post-Gold Rush California and throughout the American West. These establishments preferred to use tokens rather than actual coins during play, both to simplify accounting and to prevent the loss of real money from the premises. The California Gold Double Eagle counter represents this practical commercial application while simultaneously celebrating the gold coinage heritage that defined California's entry into the Union.

Rarity Notes

Scarce but more available than genuine California territorial gold issues. Bronze counters and gaming tokens from the post-Gold Rush era are collected as affordable examples of California gold imagery.

Cross References

PCGS #933891; Kagin K-8; Token Catalog TC-506174; 35mm bronze counter; California gold double eagle design