Jun 09, 2008 teletrade to auction special collection of california fractional gold coins june 9, 2008 irvine, calif. Doering, david and susan california fractional gold. Among the most faked coins are california fractional gold. Usually they will have the word dollar with a fraction if a quarter or half dollar, but there are also some that are. As time progressed from the early days of the 1850s up until the early 1900s the purpose and style of the coins changed.
See this coinquest page press here for a discussion of real and fake cal gold. Though operating on shaky legal ground, the united states secret service had launched a crackdown on the manufacture and sale of fractional gold coins, claiming that these pieces violated the federal governments exclusive right to coin money. The photo above features a genuine california fractional gold piece with a us currency denomination on the reverse and a fake piece, or replica, on the right with a bear symbol, which is not from the 19th century, not gold and most assuredly not from california. You will receive the exact coin depicted in these picture the amount and quality of gold per coin is up to 85% pure gold. A northern california couple out walking their dog on their gold country property stumbled across a modernday bonanza.
Hundreds of thousands of fake rare coins are being sold. Buy gold coins from the pioneer days from the best. Token us california fractional gold fake counterfeit 1849 to 1857 this page shows two of the most common fake california gold pieces, dated 1852 and 1857, but there are oodles more fakes. It is estimated that over 300,000 people traveled to california to begin their careers as gold miners. These copies have been plaguing the hobby for decades and are being offered regularly to bidders believing they are buying pioneer fractional gold. California gold coin values april 2020 gold prices today. Collecting period one california fractional gold by mike. Buy california fractional gold coins california fractionals. Us california fractional gold counterfeit 1849 to 1880. Buy california fractional gold coins capstone acquisitions. Highquality counterfeit gold bars sold in winnipeg and other canadian cities. They are either solid brass or non gold plated pot metal. The need for smaller fractional denominations of gold coins may have been met by hundreds of varieties of small gold pieces in quarter, half, and dollar sizes.
Souvenir california gold tokens uncirculated type set. California fractional gold liberty head octagonal dollars. Get this, now, there are fewer left only a handful authentic ones can be spotted. The experts disagree on whether these coins actually served as money or were merely sold as curiosities and charms. Were more excited to see that the portal followed through on one of our reports of fake california fractional gold. Teletrade to auction special collection of california. A bunch of fractional ca gold coins genuine or not. This video shows you details of a fake coin in a fake slab. California fractional gold or cal fractional gold coins were minted by private individuals, typically, a manufacture of jewelry and they were legal up until 1864. If you think you have a real one, you should have it certified by a. I want to know if it is real or fake because a local dealer looked at it and said it was fake because he was ripped off when he bought a california gold coin that was similar to this one.
You could easily devote a whole collecting career to it. Gold moved reverse ca gold jpeg us california full weight half eagle counterfeit 1849 report the coin carries a face value of 50 and is historic gold rush small change 1852 1857 supressed readable resource on these coins 61. Dec 28, 20 it is in the style of a california gold dollar. Winning bidder will receive the exact coin pictured. Make offer 1880 bg1067 g50c ngc ms64 pl gem unc proof like california fractional gold coin.
California fractional gold by doering, david and susan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. California fractional gold 18521882 values pcgs price. The unusual shape and size of a california fractional gold coin make it stand out among the other coins in a numismatic collection. The history of california fractional gold california. Unique designs make this a key to any type set of small california gold. With this new catalog, collectors have an authoritative reference that removes the mystery and. The 1854 octagonal california gold dollar was recently. Catalogue of a fine collection of united states, english, and other coins, and including fractional currency, encased postage stamps, california. Token us california fractional gold fake counterfeit 1849 to 1857. Most notably, on the genuine the top edge of the ground the horse is on if extended to the left would. California gold is a fascinating branch of numismatics, from the original pieces themselves to the wonderful cacophony of counterfeits and fakes. California gold coinage is a broad category of privatelyissued coin like items that were used in place of official currency in the united states territory later state of california during the gold rush of 1849. We continue to see fake and replica california gold being offered on ebay, proxibid, and other online coin portals.
Very attractive tokens you have at any rate, and worth keeping. California fractional gold is a historically significant series that includes more than 500 varieties and a number of counterfeit coins. Some famous coin collections like the harry bass, jr. Browse our inventory of new and used gold coins pre1933 u. Dec 01, 20 period three coins are the most mysterious of all, as they were all backdated by their makers in an effort to avoid prosecution. The reverse of an authentic california fractional gold coin has a. Is this california small denomination gold coin real or fake. There was a shortage of small change in california during this time period and these privately issued gold coins were intended to alleviate that shortage. Coins signature auction in long beach, california, january 29 february 1, 2015. California gold coins california fractional gold coin. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. Ill bet more people have taken more shots at faking california gold than any other type. Welcome to cgo the home of california smalldenomination gold. Etsy your place to buy and sell all things handmade.
Here, from this staging area, you can jump off to one of cgos two frontiers by clicking on one of the two images below. Out of this shortage of small currency, the california fractional gold coins were born. Posted on december 20, 2016 counterfeit, or fake, coins are pesky inevitables in the world of coin collecting but there are a number of tips suggested by the numismatic guaranty corporation ngc and professional coin grading services pcgs. We provide cal fracs for sale in various bg numbers and different coin values all relating to california gold.
California gold, alaska gold coins, fractional gold, tokens, collectors gold. A small gold coin originally thought to be a fake was authenticated in april by experts as an 1854 california gold rush coin struck at the san francisco mint. Would appreciate help from the community figuring out if this coin is real or a fake. California fractional gold coins collectors universe. California gold, real, replica and fake proxiblogs top. Privatelyissued fractional gold coins of california are one of the most enigmatic areas of american numismatics. California gold rush 150th anniversary commemorative coin 18491999 socalconnection. We are seeing plated tokens being billed on proxibid as california gold. California gold coins value april 2020 gold prices today.
Ngc, stacks bowers galleries identify new california. Greatly revised and expanded from the original 1980s release, california pioneer and fractional gold. Apr 25, 2018 a small gold coin originally thought to be a fake was authenticated in april by experts as an 1854 california gold rush coin struck at the san francisco mint. California fractional gold west coast coins javascript seems to be disabled in your browser.
Heritage auctions will be hosting the official sale at the long beach expo. Get the best deals on california fractional gold when you shop the largest online selection at. Sep 14, 2016 numismatic guaranty corporation ngc and stacks bowers galleries have identified a new variety of california fractional gold. Once youve arrived there, you will find it a breeze to surf back and forth between these two.
Find the current california fractional gold values by year, coin varieties, and specific grade. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on javascript in your browser. Once this discovery became known the rush was on to california to strike it rich. One of these has an indian head with stars dated 1852 on one side and the words california gold, a picture of a bear and 12 on the other. This page shows two of the most common fake california gold pieces, dated 1852 and. Ive got several gold coins that are extremely small. But most specifically,this 1855 california gold octagonal fractional belongs, probably, to one of rarest. Numismatists collect the california fractional gold coins because of their rustic old west charm. Web home of mike locke california gold calgoldcoin. Historic gold rush small change 18521857 and supressed jewelers issues 18581882 is an expert, exhaustive, and readable resource on these coins of the california gold rush. Whatever their real story, california fractional gold pieces are a delight to collect and have attracted generations of adventurous numismatists. The numismatic coin collecting specialty area known as us california fractional gold is highly sophisticated and very complex. Counterfeit 2011w 1 oz gold buffalo in a fake ngc slab. If its real, im guessing its a california gold token that was minted sometime after 1880 and backdated.
These usually come in denominations of 14, 12 and 1 dollars, and dollar is sometimes abbreviated to d. In any event, enough is known to safely say that about 90% of coins claiming to be california fractional gold are actually counterfeits or replicas. Ca san francisco,1954, 2003 1 2 each california pioneer fractional gold by walter breen and ronald j. If youve been reading the other descriptions on the pcgs set registry about california gold, then im certain that the message is more than clear.
More california gold replicas in online portals coin update. The twoway its thought to be the richest cache of coins ever discovered in the u. The reverse of an authentic california fractional gold coin has a denomination on it, such as 14, 12 and 1 dollar. All of those pictured on this page do not have any gold whatsoever in them. Fractionalcalifornia gold coins golden eagle coins.
Two tiny coins, very thin and labelled california gold. Bgasc stocks a large inventory of fractional gold coins including fractional american gold eagles, canadian gold maple leafs and south african gold krugerrands. California fractional gold 18521876 coins for sale on. California fractional gold 1852 1876 coins for sale on collectors corner, the collectibles marketplace, where you can buy safely from the worlds top coins dealers. Modern replicas the purpose of this page is to alert consumers of fantasy tokens that deceptive sellers often pawn off as being genuine, rare, gold or valuable. Selling the unique world of california fractional gold and territorial gold coins made famous in the gold rush era of americas 1800s. All california fractional gold from periods one and two are denominated. Since the federal government reserves the right to issue legal tender coins, california gold coinage is a misnomer and actually references coin like ingots with a stated tender value.
This march 6, 2017 coin world article by michael bugeja deals with fake versions of california fractional gold coins, another recent topic. The ones that concern us the most are coins made to intentionally deceive a coin collector out of his money. I have seen noted as fake in other threads over the years. California fractional gold coin question coin community. Its dated 1852 and says california gold on the back. His aso has features that show it to be a fake though. Fake california gold still floods online auctions coin world. Sep 18, 2017 california fractional gold is a historically significant series that includes more than 500 varieties and a number of counterfeit coins. Rather than being intimidated, though, new collectors for these coins are entering the market almost every day. Shrouded in mystery, alternately praised or ignored by the numismatic community, the privatelyissued fractional gold coinage of california is one of the most enigmatic areas of american.
List coins for sale recently sold items on usa coin book top coin dealers and sellers. California gold are these real coin talk help with 1855 1 2 california gold coin community forum counterfeit detection fantasy and souvenir california fractional usa 1852 1 2 california gold coin community forum liberty five dollar gold coin value discover their worth today. California fractional gold or cal gold coins were minted by private individuals, primarily by the jewelers in san francisco to meet the commercial needs, and they were legal up until 1864. A few helpful tips can make sure you never get fooled by these sometimes deceptive fantasy pieces. California fractional gold coins were produced between 1852 and 1876, although the origins of the coins actually dates back to 1848 during the california gold rush when they were used as a method of commerce for california pioneers. Almost all being offered on proxibid, ebay and other portals are basemetal replicas manufactured in the 20th century. Even without the word replica, there are plenty of counterfeit cal gold pieces around. Cal gold is attributed by bg numbers for breengillio and ngc grades all of the coins listed by the authors as period one and period two. When they were minted is without a doubt well after the dates on the coins, which is the case with many, if not most, cal gold tokens. Call 800 3759006 to order 1852 to 1876 california gold replica token octagonal liberty at apmex. California fractional gold the origins of the fractional gold coins from california came about in 1848 with the discovery of gold in california.
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