The just over 100 california fractional gold coins which were brought up from the depths of the sea in 2014 are a true time capsule. Any grades, luster statements, and toning ratings are my personal opinion and use the photos to make your own opinion. Earlier this month we warned about fake and replica california fractional gold selling on proxibid, noting that the company eventually persuaded the auctioneers to take it down. Once this discovery became known the rush was on to california to strike it rich. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands affordable prices. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on javascript in your browser. These coins filled the bill for larger transactions. California small denomination fractional gold deviating from the rule of stars. These copies have been plaguing the hobby for decades and are being offered regularly to bidders believing they are buying pioneer fractional gold. Selling the unique world of california fractional gold and territorial gold coins made famous in the gold rush era of americas 1800s. Historic gold rush small change 18521856 and suppressed jewelers issues 18591882. Buy california fractional gold coins capstone acquisitions. Many fractional bars are weighed in metric units of 100 grams, 50 grams, 10 grams and 1 gram.
Many dealers have been helpful to me over the years. California pioneer fractional gold by walter breen. With this new catalog, collectors have an authoritative reference that removes the mystery and. Gillio and over 50 million more used, rare, and outofprint books.
Perhaps the best defense against imitation california fractional gold would be a copy of walter breen and ronald j. Welcome to cgo the home of california smalldenomination gold. The items you see isare the items you will receive. The breen and gillio california pioneer fractional gold 2003 and their first edition in 1983 are good reference materials for the california fractional gold series. Historic gold rush small change 18521857 and suppressed jewelers issues 18581882, wolfeboro, nh. Historic gold rush small change 18521857 and supressed jewelers issues 18581882 is an expert. There are four kinds of tiny metal disks being billed as california gold. It is estimated that over 300,000 people traveled to california to begin their careers as gold miners. California fractional pioneer gold seems to be strong. California gold coinage is a broad category of privatelyissued coinlike items that were used in place of official currency in the united states territory later state of california during the gold rush of 1849.
If the gripping historical narratives were published alone, the book would be still be a valuable addition to a numismatists reference shelf. Macmillan describes those period one 18521857, 25 cent, 50 cent and one dollar gold california issues deviating from the rule of stars, along with an analysis of the reasons for the deviating star numbers. But gold american eagle and canadian maple leaf coins are also produced in sizes less than one full ounce. California fractional gold reference books nov 30, 2011. California fractional gold 18521876 coins for sale on. New california gold dollar variety surfaces coin world. California pioneer fractional gold walter breen, ronald j. This small niche in the numismatic world is full of history from the old west period. Pioneer fractional gold in, ca, california pioneer. As you continue to browse apmex, view our selection of other reference materials.
California pioneer fractional gold 2003 edition open. The title of this book is california pioneer fractional gold and it was written by walter breen, ronald j. Sep 18, 2017 perhaps the best defense against imitation california fractional gold would be a copy of walter breen and ronald j. Other collectors beg to differ, as youll find some extensive collections that encompass the period two coins with equal passion. Collecting in this area is fun and potentially profitable.
Historic gold rush small change 18521856 and suppressed jewelers issues 18591882 with ronald gillio santa barbara. Buy california fractional gold coins california fractionals. California fractional gold, also known as california pioneer gold, is little understood or appreciated by collectors. Since the federal government reserves the right to issue legal tender coins, california gold coinage is a misnomer and actually references coinlike ingots with a stated tender value. They come in sizes of 12ounce, 14ounce, and 110th of an ounce.
Apmex offers california pioneer fractional gold by breen and gillio 2nd ed at competitive gold prices. Fractional gold bars are categorized as a gold bullion bar containing less than one troy ounce of gold. Dec 09, 20 doering, david and susan california fractional gold, 1980 santa monica california. The pinch system used with gold dust that created a demand for small coinage in san francisco period one from 185257 that included coins that were dated and undated and may have actually circulated period two pieces that were collected from their inception that some were made outside of california. California gold coinage is a broad category of privatelyissued coinlike items that were used in. Here, from this staging area, you can jump off to one of cgos two frontiers by clicking on one of the two images below. California gold, alaska gold coins, fractional gold, tokens, collectors gold. California fractional gold, sometimes known as pioneer gold, is a fascinating area of numismatics, especially to those who live in the golden state. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Whether you are making a longterm investment or simply admire the beauty of precious metals, apmex provides the tools to help you make the best choice for your portfolio.
Buy gold coins from the pioneer days from the best. 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. 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. Here we have set up an ebay search for hot fractional and pioneer gold sorted with the highest number of bids first. Breen, walter is the author of california pioneer fractional gold with isbn 9780943161907 and isbn 0943161908. California gold, real, replica and fake proxiblogs top. 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. Walter breen and ron gillio california pioneer fractional gold, 1983, pacific coast auction galleries, santa barbara, ca.
Discussion in us coins forum started by ryanbrooks, jun 25, 2010. We provide cal fracs for sale in various bg numbers and different coin values all relating to california gold. It was published by bowers and merena galleries and has a total of 262 pages in the book. Speak with an account manager tollfree or click on the live chat button. California gold 14 dollar fractional piece coin talk. Gillio and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. These are the true collectors or so some say of the fractional gold coins from the early days of california statehood.
We continue to see fake and replica california gold being offered on ebay, proxibid, and other online coin portals. The experts disagree on whether these coins actually served as money or were merely sold as curiosities and charms. Here are a few tips to tell if you have the real deal. Gillio, authors of the standard reference book for the series, california pioneer fractional gold. Ca san francisco,1954, 2003 1 2 each california pioneer fractional gold by walter breen and ronald j.
Gold variety identified numismatic newsnumismatic news. California pioneer fractional gold by walter breen, ronald. Without a doubt this is the most authoritative reference works on california pioneer fractional gold coins which were produced during the historic gold rush from 1852 to 1857 and the suppressed jewelers issues from 1858 to 1882. Starting march 1, 2004 numismatic guaranty corporation will begin grading and encapsulating california small denomination gold coins, more commonly known as fractional gold. Ive got several gold coins that are extremely small.
This is the authoritative reference on california fractional gold coins by walter breen and ronald gillio. Bg789 coin details california pioneer fractional gold. Historic gold rush small change 18521856 and suppressed jewelers issues 18591882 walter h breen on. California small denomination fractional gold deviating from. Period three coins are the most mysterious of all, as they were all backdated by their makers in an effort to avoid prosecution. Gillio is coauthor with the late walter breen of california pioneer fractional gold. All california gold pieces are attributed by ngc at no additional charge according to bg numbers, from the last names of walter breen b and ronald j. Pioneer gold from the california gold rush pack a big punch for such tiny gold coins. California pioneer fractional gold historic gold rush small change 18521856 and suppressed jewelers issues 18591882 additional informational pages laid in. Ssca california fractional gold first phase release finest. Bg 106 g25c 18554 california fractional, liberty round pcgs. Pioneer gold coins exist because when gold was first discovered in the south in the early 1800s and later in the west in 1849, government facilities did not exit to convert oar or dust into bullion or coin.
California pioneer fractional gold custom set gallery. Hot fractional and pioneer gold from coin community. California fractional gold the origins of the fractional gold coins from california came about in 1848 with the discovery of gold in california. Buy california fractional gold coins we sell california fractional gold coins and pioneer gold from the gold rush era. The book california pioneer gold is pricey but probably one of the best i have come across for reference material.
Coins of the california gold rush littleton coin company. One of the reasons is that, as the name implies, the gold was made. California pioneer fractional gold liveauctioneers. If the new edition of california pioneer fractional gold by walter breen and ronald j.
Front has stars around a liberty head, g and 1871. These small gold pieces were soon to be declared illegal by the us secret service, but continued to circulate for a number of years. Browse plenty of hot fractional and pioneer gold for sale. Selling my coins through the major auction firms was a consideration, and other dealers were interested, but trusting the. Feb 06, 2004 ngc to certify california fractional gold. Home hot us coin auctionsfractional and pioneer gold. Jun 24, 20 we continue to see fake and replica california gold being offered on ebay, proxibid, and other online coin portals. California fractional gold west coast coins javascript seems to be disabled in your browser. California pioneer fractional gold by breen, walter with the collaboration of ronald j. Jul 29, 2012 this california fractional 1852 50cent gold piece features a liberty design similar to the coronet gold coins circulating at the time. A new variety of octagonal 1854 california pioneer gold dollar has been identified by numismatic. It appears the piece that harlamert, who is not a collector. Leonard jrthis particular edition is in a hardcover format. Kicking off the effort to identify the gold piece was the submission of it to ngc.
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. Whatever their real story, california fractional gold pieces are a delight to collect and have attracted generations of adventurous numismatists. All of our gold coins for sale are certified with ngc and pcgs. Their appearance is exactly the same as the full 1ounce size. California fractional gold complete collection, period one. 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. Gillios california pioneer fractional gold second edition, 2003. Hot fractional and pioneer gold with the most bids. 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.
Gillio were only a superlative work of numismatic scholarship, that would justify owning it. I also feel that most info on the web on these coins is sparse and. California pioneer fractional gold historic gold rush small change 18521857 and suppressed jewelers issues 18581882, breen and gillio, second edition, 2003 set goals. Noncollector purchase includes fractional gold coin world. Greatly revised and expanded from the original 1980s release, california pioneer and fractional gold. It appears the piece that harlamert, who is not a collector, purchased from his. California pioneer fractional gold by david lisot video library. Click the image to load the highest resolution version. Collecting period one california fractional gold by mike. Period one circulating issues between 1852 and 1856. We are seeing plated tokens being billed on proxibid as california gold. Rare softcover breen gillio california pioneer fractional gold.
Gillio, authors of the reference book for the series, california pioneer fractional gold. More california gold replicas in online portals coin update. There are so many different combinations in fractional gold, its a segment with limited financial liquidity and it doesnt take much to move prices. This is the second edition, published in 2003 and is a very tough book to find. California pioneer fractional gold soft cover book by breen gillio extremely rare out of print mint condition this is a must have reference book for investorscollectors on real california pioneer fractional gold coins. Buying precious metals doesnt have to be intimidating. Cdn publishing coin and currency pricing for dealers and. 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. California pioneer fractional gold historic gold rush small change 18521857 and suppressed jewelers issues 18581882. California pioneer fractional gold by, 2003, bowers and merena galleries edition, hardcover.
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