1309

Lot 1309: 1851 US Assayer $50 ÒSlugÓ AU-50

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:15,000.00 - 18,000.00 USD
Lot 1309: 1851 US Assayer $50 ÒSlugÓ AU-50
<b>Assay Gold</b><hr><b>Impressive $50 'Slug'</b>

<b>1851 Augustus Humbert, United States Assayer $50 'Slug,' .880 Thousand, About Uncirculated-50.</b>
Target reverse, with fine engine-turning on the reverse (an olden-day version of the Spirograph). Slightly dullish luster, most likely from an old cleaning or dipping. This example is very well struck, very clean, and relatively free of marks. Most importantly, the corners are in good shape and none have been repaired or artificially improved. This big, impressive hunk of gold was struck by Moffat & Co. as subcontractors for the U.S. Assay Office, with Augustus Humbert as the resident Assayer. $50 'Slugs' (as they are known) are among the most sought-after of all U.S. coins and few collections have even a single example. The $50 gold pieces were the largest denomination gold coins produced in the gold fields of California and they helped satisfy the demand for coins in the years before the establishment of the Mint at San Francisco.