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Tonopah,NV - Nye County - 1905 - Tonopah Gold Token :

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Tonopah,NV - Nye County - 1905 - Tonopah Gold Token :
Small coin with Tonopah/Gold/Nevada//(pic )miner with pick & shovel/ 1905. 12mm. Diam. Brilliant, uncirculated. This token is distinctly different from the gold Tonopah tokens sold by this firm almost a decade ago. As such it may be unique. There has been much speculation about the maker but no definitive information is known at this time. The 1905 date on this coin corresponds with a period of great popularity of gold tokens in the West. Tokens were privately produced in Alaska and a set of western tokens was produced by Hart of San Francisco a little later than this. The extreme rarity of this piece suggests that it is not a token made for common jewelry sale, but rather may be a piece made for a special occasion. Curiously, the consolidation of the Tonopah mines into major mining companies took place after this date. It also corresponds to an important point in Tonopah mining, when the mines began huge production of ores. None of the small mills near the camp were adequate, and most shipped to ASARCO in Utah. The Tonopah Mining Co., the largest producer in camp, built a large mill that year to process their ores which contained native gold. This gold coin may have been made to commemorate that event.