Colorado Gold (1860-1861)

About This Series

Forged in the frenzy of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, Colorado's private gold coins addressed the urgent need for reliable currency in a mining frontier far from any government mint. Clark, Gruber & Company, the most prolific Colorado gold coiner, operated from Denver and produced $2.50, $5, $10, and $20 denominations beginning in 1860, with designs featuring Pike's Peak on early issues and Liberty Head on later ones. John Parsons struck rarer $2.50 and $5 pieces in the mountain mining camps of South Park, producing some of the crudest yet most evocative private gold coins in American numismatics. Both operations were short-lived: Clark, Gruber sold their facility to the federal government in 1862, and Parsons' output was measured in hundreds. The government-acquired facility eventually became the Denver Mint, which began federal coinage in 1906. Colorado territorial gold coins are prized for their direct connection to one of the great mining booms of the American West, and limited production ensures genuine scarcity across all issuers.