10448

1851 $10 Baldwin Ten Dollar AU Details, Tooled, I

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:7,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1851 $10 Baldwin Ten Dollar AU Details, Tooled, I
<B>1851<$10> Baldwin Ten Dollar AU Details, Tooled, Improperly Cleaned, NCS.</B></I> K-4, High R.6. The firm of Baldwin & Co. joined the ranks of other "less desirable" private minters after an unfavorable assay report in March 1851 showed their ten dollar coins to contain only $9.74 in value. It is a curious coincidence that today the firms that were least respected in Gold Rush California are held in the greatest respect by collectors today. Obviously, this is because the coins from these "lightweight" companies were melted in the 1850s and converted into coin form that was more acceptable for use in general commerce, making survivors in any grade extremely rare today. These ten dollar pieces imitating the Federal design are rarer than the more popular "cowboy" design of the same company. Baldwin tens are always weak in the centers as they were struck from convex dies. This weakness is even more pronounced on this coin as it has been tooled in this area as well as the left obverse field. The surfaces are unusually bright from heavy cleaning with just a hint of reddish patina around the peripheries. An interesting die cud is seen between star 4 and the rim, a feature that is unlisted in the Kagin reference.Listed on page 302 of the 2005 <I>Guide Book. </B></I><BR><I>From The Great Western Collection of Territorial Gold.</B></I>