LOT #3386 |
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1849 $5 Mormon Five Dollar AU50 PCGS. K-2, R.4....
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Sold on Jan 14, 2026 for:
$39,040.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Description
1849 Mormon Half Eagle, AU50
Highly Sought Territorial Issue, K-2
1849 $5 Mormon Five Dollar AU50 PCGS. K-2, R.4. After the
Gold Rush in California began in earnest in 1848, at the end of
that year enough gold dust had found its way into the Mormon's
church treasury to begin private gold coinage. On November 25th of
that year, Brigham Young, John Kay, and John Taylor got together
and suggested the symbols used on these unique and interesting
territorial coins. The design was put to paper by Scottish clerk
Robert L. Campbell, while dies and punches were forged by
blacksmith Alfred Boaz. John Kay engraved a set of punches based
upon Campbell's drawings. After a small, initial 1848 mintage of
Mormon eagles (dated 1849), 1849 quarter eagles and 1849 half
eagles were struck. Apparently official production records were not
kept (or have subsequently been lost) and today we do not know the
exact number of pieces struck. However, Breen estimates the total
to be around 5,300 coins; Donald Kagin suggests 5,500 five dollar
pieces were struck in 1849. Of course, far fewer are extant today
(about 150 pieces in all grades combined) since they were
underweight and largely repudiated in commerce. This is the first
of the three five dollar issues produced by the Deseret Assay
Office and it is a rare coin in all grades. The surfaces are bright
olive-gold in color and are minutely granular, a bit more so along
the lower right reverse border. The clasped hands are softly
struck, as is characteristic of the issue. A couple of wispy
pinscratches are only detectable under a lens. Listed on page 402
of the 2026 Guide Book. PCGS Population: 13 in 50, 30 finer
(11/25).Ex: Long Beach Signature (Heritage, 9-2004), lot 7350.
Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 6J6V, PCGS# 10262, Greysheet# 11822)
Auction Info
2026 January 14 - 17 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1390 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
January, 2026
14th-17th
Wednesday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 9
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 248
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
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