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Utah. Salt Lake City. Deseret Assay Office. 1849 Mormon $2.50. Kagin-1. Rarity-5+. AU-53 PCGS.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:35,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Utah. Salt Lake City. Deseret Assay Office. 1849 Mormon $2.50. Kagin-1. Rarity-5+. AU-53 PCGS.
SOLD
60,000.00USD+ (12,000.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2020 Feb 27 @ 21:18UTC-5 : EST/CDT
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Utah. Salt Lake City. Deseret Assay Office. 1849 Mormon $2.50. Kagin-1. Rarity-5+. AU-53 PCGS.

A nicely preserved and essentially unmarked example of this popular issue struck at the behest of Brigham Young himself. Shades of deep orange and violet toning grace the centers of this lustrous specimen, while traces of bright yellow frost enhance the protected areas. Made of G.S.L.C.P.G., or Great Salt Lake City Pure Gold. The clasped hands are bold with full finger details, though the reverses was struck with a sinking die that caused loss of detail toward the bottom rim; this is a frequently seen die state for the variety. The all-seeing eye and bishop’s mitre are fully represented. Choice for the grade with great color and physical appeal. While no gold was discovered in Utah, Mormon prospectors living in Northern California were among the first to mine the gold when it was discovered on Sutter’s mill in Coloma January 24, 1848. Large quantities were brought back to the new Mormon home of Salt Lake City when the season ended. Leader Brigham Young conceived the idea of a distinctive Mormon coinage, and eventually he had struck $2 ½, $5, $10, and $20 denominations. Although professing to be pure gold, they certainly were not. Subsequent assays revealed that they only contained 80% for their stamped value and they were universally discredited and melted. Luckily the Mormon brethren still used the coinage locally so we have many to collect today.
While the $5 denominations are relatively available, the other denominations are quite scarce including the $2 ½ pieces. High quality specimens like this one are rarely available and highly coveted.


Grading Company: PCGS AU53

Pedigree/Collection: