10447

1850 $5 Baldwin Five Dollar AU55 PCGS. K-2, R.5.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:22,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1850 $5 Baldwin Five Dollar AU55 PCGS. K-2, R.5.
<B>1850<$5> Baldwin Five Dollar AU55 PCGS.</B></I> K-2, R.5. An elusive issue today, these Baldwin half eagles were struck during the early days of the California Gold Rush. Pleasing light greenish-gold in color from the natural silver alloy, with some luster in the protected areas. The strike is fairly good considering this is a very late die state, with die cracks found in the obverse through the stars, a full cud seen on the rim touching the ninth star, a heavy die crack extending toward the center through star twelve, and reverse cracks through the branch and above SM V. plus a small rim cud above SM. Certainly one of the last ones struck, as the dies were literally falling apart when this piece was coined. Identifiable by a pair of diagonal nicks above the eagle's head and a small dull nick centered near the top of the V right atop the die crack.<BR>On March 15, 1850 the partners George C. Baldwin and Thomas S. Holman (then owners of a local watch making and jewelry store in San Francisco) bought out F. D. Kohler's assaying and coining equipment as Kohler was anticipating his appointment to the office of State Assayer. Baldwin and Holman began coinage almost immediately, and were some of the largest producers of coinage in their day. Jealousy from competitor James King of William resulted in tests conducted on Baldwin coinage by Augustus Humbert which found them to be slightly underweight. James King of William sent the test results to the newspapers who promptly began a smear campaign which quickly got out of control. Baldwin ended up leaving California by April 15, 1851 over this issue. The public outcry ended up enhancing James King of Williams reputation, and seeing an opportunity, bought up all the Baldwin gold coins for substantially less than their true value, and sent them off to Augustus Humbert for recoining into $50 slugs, thus Baldwin netted himself a tidy profit. By the end of 1851, Baldwin coinage had virtually disappeared. Listed on page 302 of the 2005 <I>Guide Book. </B></I>Population: 3 in 55, 4 finer (6/05).<BR><I>From The Great Western Collection of Territorial Gold.</B></I>