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1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co. Twenty Dollar, Small Head, AU55 NGC. K-7, R.6....
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Sold on Jan 11, 2024 for:
$180,000.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Description
1855 Wass, Molitor & Co. Twenty, AU55
Small Head, Kagin-7
1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co. Twenty Dollar, Small Head, AU55
NGC. K-7, R.6. Wass, Molitor & Co. was a San Francisco Gold
Rush private assayer. It was a partnership of two Hungarian
immigrants, Count S.C. Wass and A.P. Molitor. During 1852, the
output of the San Francisco Assay Office was limited to fifty
dollar slugs. Smaller denominations of gold coin were needed in
commerce, and Wass, Molitor struck private fives (K-1 and K-2) and
tens (K-3 to K-5) to fulfill market demand.Three years later in 1855, the fledgling San Francisco Mint was enduring growing pains, and could not keep up with coining bullion deposits. Once again, Wass, Molitor & Co. struck private gold coins to resolve the banking crisis. Wass, Molitor issued two major varieties of twenty dollar pieces. The Small Head (K-7) featured a bust similar to Gobrecht's Liberty as seen on Federal ten dollar coins, while the Large Head (K-8 and K-8a) had a bust styled after Longacre's Liberty on double eagles. Additionally, Wass, Molitor struck one variety each of ten dollar pieces (K-6) and fifty dollar pieces (K-9).
While several issuers of pioneer gold coins during the Gold Rush era were disreputable, that was not the case for Wass, Molitor. Similar to another San Francisco private assayer, Kellogg & Co., Wass, Molitor only struck private gold coins when government facilities were unable to accommodate local economy need.
When Wass, Molitor coins appear at auction, they are usually examples of the ten dollar denomination, dated either 1852 or 1855. Wass, Molitor twenties are rare, and almost always the Small Head variety, since the Large Head is non-collectible. The present Small Head example displays luster within the legends, wings, and dentils. The straw-gold surfaces show distributed minor abrasions, but none require singular mention. Listed on page 405 of the 2024 Guide Book.
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# E55A, PCGS# 10357, Greysheet# 11887)
Auction Info
2024 January 10 - 14 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1371 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
January, 2024
10th-14th
Wednesday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 48
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 631
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