(c.1915) Token "$50" Jankovsky-215 Gilt-Brass Days of '49 Slug Fifty Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$408 MS63 06-23-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This gilt brass souvenir token, cataloged as Jankovsky-215, evokes the "Days of '49" — a nostalgic phrase celebrating the California Gold Rush of 1849 that became embedded in popular culture through songs, shows, and commemorative pieces. Produced circa 1915, in connection with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco that year, this slug-format token reproduces the general appearance of the fifty-dollar gold pieces that circulated during California's gold mining era. The Days of '49 theme was enormously popular during the early twentieth century as California celebrated its pioneer heritage, and numerous souvenir and commemorative pieces invoked this romantic period. The Jankovsky catalog documents the full range of these California gold facsimile pieces, which vary in size, metal, and design detail.

Rarity Notes

Gilt brass, Jankovsky-215. Days of '49 slug souvenir. Panama-Pacific Exposition era production.

Cross References

PCGS #803590; Jankovsky-215; Days of '49 Slug, Gilt Brass, $50