LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 Jan. FUN Signature Coin Auction #454  / 

3453

1860 $5 Mormon Five Dollar AU58 NGC

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:55,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1860 $5 Mormon Five Dollar AU58 NGC
<B>1860 $5 Mormon Five Dollar AU58 NGC.</B></I> K-6, High R.5. The 1860 five dollar is the final pioneer Mormon gold issue. It was struck from bullion received from Colorado gold rush miners. The obverse legend is written in the Deseret alphabet, and translates to "Holiness to the Lord," the same legend used on the various 1849 and 1850 Mormon varieties. The obverse features a fierce-looking lion. The eagle on the reverse also appears defiant, but is facing the olive branch, a symbol of peace, instead of the arrows of war. A beehive, a symbol of industry, provides the eagle's body.<BR> Mormon leader Brigham Young directed Deseret jeweler J.M. Barlow to make five dollar dies, which were used to strike 472 pieces between February 28 and March 9 of 1861. Utah governor Alfred Cumming, a non-Mormon, prohibited further production once he learned of the private coinage. The gold pieces traded at face value within the Mormon community, but were accepted only at a discount of 10% or more by soldiers and other outsiders.<BR> Radiant orange-gold luster outlines the letters, digits, and devices. The open fields are green-gold, and the devices have gray highpoints. A couple of faded marks are noted behind the lion's head, beneath the beak, near the arrows, and on the obverse rim at 4:30. Two tiny marks in front of the lion are also inconspicuous, and the obverse field is slightly cloudy. The overall appearance is impressive for a pioneer gold coin. Listed on page 365 of the 2008 <I>Guide Book. </B></I>Census: 7 in 58, 14 finer (12/07).<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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