5758

1861 $2 1/2 Clark, Gruber $2 1/2 Copper Die Trial MS67

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1861 $2 1/2 Clark, Gruber $2 1/2 Copper Die Trial MS67
<B>1861<$2 1/2> Clark, Gruber $2 1/2 Copper Die Trial MS67 <img border='0' src='http://www.heritagecoins.com/images/star.gif' width=10 height=10> Brown NGC.</B></I> K-9, High R.7. The firm of Clark, Gruber was a well-respected private minter in territorial Colorado. Their first year of coinage was 1860, and the coins from that year were pure gold. As such, they were actually worth more than the federal coinage they attempted to imitate. As Henry Gruber recalled in 1904, "The next year we coined $2.50, $5, $10, and $20 gold pieces, but having found our pieces of the preceding year a little soft, as they were pure gold, we did not make the coins of 1861 as pure as those of 1860; still they were purer than the government coin."<BR> This piece is a copper die trial for that second (and final) year for Clark, Gruber coinage. Having no 1860 die trials on hand to compare this piece to, we cannot state what (if any) design differences there may be between the two years. It does appear, however, that some of the striking softness referred to by Henry Gruber was actually a lack of highpoint detail inherent in the dies. Slight softness can be seen over Liberty's hair curls and there is some weakness also noted on the eagle's feathers.<BR> The surfaces are magnificently preserved. A significant outline of original red still remains around the devices on each side, while the remainder of the coin displays a rich blue-brown iridescence. A few small contact marks are seen on each side, but no carbon spots are present. Struck without a collar, the result as seen on this piece, was indistinct or non-existent denticles and extra flan around much of each side. An important die trial of this historic Colorado private minter.<BR><I>Accompanied by an NGC Photo Proof.</B></I>