(c.1940s) Token "$50" Jankovsky-140 Brass Days of '49 Slug Fifty Dollar

Coin Details

Description

This brass souvenir token, cataloged as Jankovsky-140, features the "Days of '49 Slug" design celebrating the California Gold Rush. Produced during the 1940s, this piece is a later entry in the long-running series of California gold slug facsimiles that began in the late nineteenth century. The slug format — large, thick, and heavy like the original fifty-dollar gold pieces — was maintained even in base metal reproductions to convey the impressive physical presence of the original Gold Rush currency. By the 1940s, these tokens were firmly established as collectibles rather than tourist souvenirs, with collectors pursuing complete sets organized by Jankovsky catalog numbers. The brass composition provided an affordable alternative to the original gold pieces, which by this time were already museum-quality rarities valued at thousands of dollars.

Rarity Notes

Brass, Jankovsky-140. 1940s production. Days of '49 series slug format.

Cross References

PCGS #803585; Jankovsky-140; Days of '49 Slug, Brass, $50