Rare California Gold Rush Coin Fetches Over $350,000 at Auction
A 170-year-old $10 gold coin, described as a 'major rarity' from the California Gold Rush era, sold for $354,375 at a recent auction.
An exceptionally rare $10 gold coin dating back to the California Gold Rush era has sold for $354,375 at a Sunday auction organized by Great Collections. The coin, minted in 1852, garnered 74 bids before concluding its sale.
Auction organizers described the coin as a "major rarity," noting that only six other examples are known to exist. Four of these known coins were recovered from the shipwreck of the SS Central America. Experts Donald Kagin and David McCarthy have identified the recently sold coin as the "only mint state" example known.
The coin features a bust of the U.S. Liberty head surrounded by 13 stars on its obverse, with a bald eagle depicted on its reverse. It was manufactured by Wass, Molitor & Company, a private firm established in San Francisco by Hungarian exiles Samuel Wass and Agoston Molitor. The company began minting five- and ten-dollar coins in 1852, alongside ten, twenty, and fifty-dollar gold pieces.
During the Gold Rush, Wass, Molitor & Company, along with Kellogg & Co., supplied coinage to the American populace. However, coin production by these private entities ceased when the U.S. Mint established a branch in San Francisco in 1854, making coins from this period extremely scarce.
While the $10 gold coin achieved the highest price at the auction, several other numismatic items also commanded significant bids. A 1918 Lincoln Illinois Centennial Half Dollar sold for $78,750 after 66 bids. An 1854 Seated Liberty Half Dollar Arrows, noted for its "extraordinary original toning," sold for $33,750 on a single bid.
Another notable sale was a 1913-S Barber Quarter, which Great Collections identified as a "key rarity" in its series. This coin sold for $32,051 after 37 bids.
Additionally, a double-struck 1973-S Eisenhower Dollar, described as demonstrating "one of the most dramatic error formats possible on a modern proof coin," sold for $16 after 40 bids. Other items included a Mexico 1947 Gold 50 Pesos for $9,067, a gold coin from the Ancient Roman Empire for $20,818, and a 1921-S Walking Liberty Half Dollar for $9,282.