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Love Token. 1848 CAL. $2.50 Host Coin. Early ANACS certificate of authenticity. Overall About Good t

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:6,250.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Love Token. 1848 CAL. $2.50 Host Coin. Early ANACS certificate of authenticity. Overall About Good t
SOLD
6,500.00USD+ (1,300.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2020 Feb 27 @ 20:24UTC-5 : EST/CDT
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Love Token. 1848 CAL. $2.50 Host Coin. Early ANACS certificate of authenticity. Overall About Good to Good

Well-worn, and with affection no doubt. The inscription reads “M.L.J. to W.W.G.” with fancy flourishes at the center. Square punctuation mark noted after CAL., an attribute of all genuine examples of this rare prize. This is the only “Love Token” known of the 1,389 examples of this special issue – technically America’s first commemorative coinage.



In 1848 some 230 ounces of native bullion from the California Gold Rush were shipped by the Military Governor of California Col. R. B. Mason to the Philadelphia Mint. The recipient, Secretary of War William L. Marcy, instructed Mint Director Robert Maskell Patterson to have the gold coined into specially marked quarter eagles, over and above the amount needed for the Congressional medals just authorized for Gens. Zachary Taylor and Winfield “Old Fuss and Feathers” Scott. These orders yielded 1,389 struck in December 1848, with each one stamped CAL. Above the eagle. These were the first coins struck from the California Gold Rush probably just prior to the Deseret Mint in Utah (see Pioneer Gold section)
Perhaps the recipient of this token, our W.W.G., was on his way to the western gold fields and was given this piece when it was barely out of the Mint, wearing it daily for the entire duration in California as one of the famed ‘49ers of Gold Rush days. Idle speculation of course, but such are love tokens. If you own one, the story is yours to tell. In decades of active love token collecting, this is the first time the writer has encountered one on this rare date. In fact, this may be the rarest host coin yet for a love token that the writer has ever seen. Just when you thought your Liberty quarter eagle cabinet was close to completion, up pops this must-have token. Certainly not your average love token, and we expect it won’t be your average bidding activity either for this lot.


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