Rare Gold Rush-Era Coin Fetches $253,000
Posted on: Monday, 19 September 2005, 12:00 CDT
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A rare Gold Rush-era coin owned by a descendant of Chinese immigrants who worked in the California gold fields sold for $253,000 at a Beverly Hills auction.
The coin has been confirmed by numismatists as one of only 12 "Quarter Eagles" known to exist from the 246 that were made at the San Francisco Mint in 1854.
The Quarter Eagle is about the size of a dime and was made from Gold Rush ore at the San Francisco Mint just months after it opened. It contains one-eighth ounce of California gold.
The anonymous seller's great-grandfather acquired the coin between 1856 and 1858 while working the gold fields, according to the American Numismatic Rarities of Wolfeboro, N.H., which auctioned the coin Sunday.
"They took exceptional care of this important piece of American history for nearly 150 years," said John Pack of American Numismatic Rarities. "In fact, it is the second finest known surviving example."
The coin, which was expected to sell for at least $150,000, opened at $140,000 and quickly jumped in $5,000 and $10,000 increments before going to an anonymous collector for the final price.
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
Related Articles
- Sysco Corporation Awards $40,000 to American Indian College Fund for Scholarships
- The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation Donates $20,000 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund
- $2,000 Gold a 'Realistic Possibility' in 2009
- Wireless Subscribers Pledge More Than $190,000 to American Red Cross Through Text 2HELP(TM) Program
- Colorado Goldfields Offers Gold and Silver Challenge
- Major Turbulence for 150,000 As American Scraps 1,094 Flights
- US: can move 2,000-plus Americans from Lebanon Wednesday
- Rocmec Obtains a $2,000,000 Gold Loan
- USCorp Announces the Completion of a $635,000 Gold Bullion Loan
- The Regence Group Donates $100,000 to American Red Cross to Support Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds