1848 $2 1/2 CAL. -- Mount Removed -- NCS. AU Details....

Description

1848 CAL. Quarter Eagle, AU Details
Historic Gold Rush Rarity

1848 $2 1/2 CAL. -- Mount Removed -- NCS. AU Details. The tale of the 1848 CAL quarter eagle is often told, but bears repeating. California was acquired by the United States after the 1847 Mexican-American War. Gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Richard Barnes Mason, the fifth military governor of California, sent 228 ounces of gold via Lieutenant Lucien Loeser to Secretary of War William Marcy in Washington, D.C. It was the historic first delivery of California Gold Rush bullion to the East Coast. Marcy instructed, "I would suggest that it be made into quarter eagles with a distinguishing mark on each." The gold was delivered to the Philadelphia Mint on December 9, 1848. Those 1,389 pieces were counterstamped CAL. while resting face down in an obverse die. About 150 pieces have survived. This coin displays a bold counterstamp below the TES in STATES. The green-gold surfaces are glossy, and slightly discolored near the southeast portion of star 7.
From The Allan H. Goldman Collection.

Note for clients in the European Union: This lot is considered by the European Union to be “investment gold”. We believe that it meets the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and thus should be exempt from import VAT regardless of the selling price. Any questions or concerns about VAT should be addressed to your accountant or local tax authority.

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