LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 (ANA) Signature Coin Auction #444  / 

2156

1850 $5 Mormon Five Dollar XF45 PCGS

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:27,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1850 $5 Mormon Five Dollar XF45 PCGS
<B>1850 $5 Mormon Five Dollar XF45 PCGS.</B></I> K-5, High R.5. The iconography of the various Mormon gold issues is, well, confusing, to say the least. While the various 1849-dated issues all show a Phrygian cap or bishop's miter with an all-seeing eye, the 1850 five dollar piece has changed the cap to a crown, with a halo between it and the all-seeing eye. The five dollar piece issued 10 years later, in 1860, shows a finely detailed reclining lion on the obverse, with a beehive on the reverse that is surrounded by an eagle, much the same as federal issues showed an eagle with a shield on the breast. While the beehive motif springs from the word Deseret meaning "beehive," the original Mormon name for the settlement that would become Salt Lake City, the reasons for the design changes and the specific motivations behind the various design changes are unclear today. The motto HOLINESS TO THE LORD, however, was a constant, whether written in English or the Mormon alphabet that failed to "catch on."<BR> This 1850-dated five dollar piece shows the nine stars that were added surrounding the central devices, and on the reverse the clasped hands motif continues, but shaped differently from the 1849 pieces and with decoration at the cuffs. About one-third of the mint luster is still present, and the greenish-gold surfaces are a bit scuffy, but have no major distractions. An attractive Choice XF piece of this historic Utah gold issue, listed on page 365 of the 2008 <I>Guide Book.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coins & Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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