LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 April Rosemont, IL (CSNS) US Coin #1104  / 

2542

1852 $5 Wass Molitor Five Dollar, Large Head

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:67,500.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1852 $5 Wass Molitor Five Dollar, Large Head
<B>1852 $5 Wass Molitor Five Dollar, Large Head MS60 NGC.</B></I> K-2, R.6. Prior to emigrating to the United States, a pair of Hungarian patriots named Count Samuel C. Wass and Augoston P. Molitor fought in their country's unsuccessful revolution against Austria. The two had previously attended the prominent School of Mines in Germany, and both had worked in the mining industry in their native land before separately traveling to California. Evidently, whether by chance or design, the men reunited in San Francisco and established an assaying office there in October 1851. According to Don Kagin's <I>Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States </B></I>(1981): "Their equipment was procured from London and the United States and was of the highest quality. Wass's knowledge of mining, chemistry, and mineralogy combined with Molitor's ability at assaying, smelting, and refining created one of the finest assaying firms in California. One of the drawing cards of this firm was that they paid off their depositors in 48 hours instead of the eight days usually required by the United States Assay Office."<BR> Wass Molitor & Company began issuing five dollar gold coins on January 6, 1852. These were badly needed and eagerly received by the community. Eventually, the firm also produced gold ten dollar, twenty dollar, and fifty dollar pieces, before shutting down operations in 1855. The company would later be reinvented for a time with a different set of partners.<BR> This coin is the single finest-graded specimen of this rare variety, of which a mere 16 pieces have been graded by NGC and PCGS combined; and it is the only example certified in Mint State by either company. Highly lustrous with vibrant lime-green and copper-red coloration, and typically soft striking details as seen on all Wass Molitor coinage. A few wispy marks and lines are noted on both sides. Listed on page 361 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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