10474

Anonymous Assayer "1849" Ten Dollar Gold Ingot AU

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:11,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Anonymous Assayer  1849  Ten Dollar Gold Ingot AU
<B>Anonymous Assayer "1849" Ten Dollar Gold Ingot AU55 Uncertified.</B></I> 22.9 x 16.8 x 3.6 mm. Inscribed CAL. / 49 / GOLD on the face in three lines and TEN / DOLLARS on the back in two lines. This unique ingot is listed and illustrated by Don Kagin on page 312 of his 1981 reference <I>Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States.</B></I> His description states:<BR> Specie Ingot.<BR> Obv. CAL/49/GOLD<BR> Rev. TEN/DOLLARS<BR> Kagin further noted: "Little is known concerning this ingot. It may have antedated both Moffat & Co. and Norris, Gregg & Norris. One can also speculate that only a well-known firm, perhaps Moffat & Co., could issue an 'unnamed' ingot and expect it to circulate without question."<BR> Perhaps it can be punch linked to one of the known issuers of gold ingots, which would identify the maker and help to unravel its mystery. The bright greenish-gold color of this ingot is typical of native California gold with its high silver content. The actual lettering on each side has the appearance of being punched from logotypes, rather than individual letter punches. On the front, GOLD is clearly doubled and possibly tripled. The individual letters on each side are formed differently, for example, the A and L on the front, and those letters on the back, clearly have different shapes which would most likely eliminate the use of individual punches. Listed in the <I>Guide Book</B></I> in the late 1950s, and also in the 1995 edition of Coin World's <I>Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of United States Coins.</B></I><BR><I>From The Great Western Collection of Territorial Gold.</B></I>