Assayers and private firms transformed dust and bullion into denominated coins and ingots before federal facilities could fully serve California.

Twenty-one normalized types and 110 issue rows cover 1849–1855 firms, assayers, denominations, patterns, and related pieces.

Core specifications

Issue period
1849–1855
Catalog mints
1
Reported catalog mintage
Not reported
Composition
Not stated
Diameter
Not stated
Weight
Not stated

Gold moved faster than official coinage

The rush created an urgent need to assay and monetize locally mined gold.

Firms rose and disappeared quickly as public confidence, assays, and federal capacity changed.

Obverse, reverse, and the details that identify the type

Confirm the major design, date, and mint mark before studying smaller die differences.

The main portrait and date

Firm names, Liberty heads, eagles, dates, and assay legends identify the maker and denomination.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

Value, fineness, weight, and geographic inscriptions may be more important than imagery.

Where the cataloged coins were made

Totals are calculated from reported issue records in this catalog; unknown figures are not counted as zero.

  • P — Philadelphia: 1849; Mintage not reported. Philadelphia issues commonly carry no P mint mark in classic series; confirm the expected blank area rather than searching for a letter.

Representative issues that explain the series

Choose one maker and denomination, then study exact legends and assay standards.

  • 1850 $5 Baldwin & Co. — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1851 $50 LE Humbert 880 Rays — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
  • 1851 State of California — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.

Issue catalog

1850 $5 Baldwin & Co.1850 $10 Baldwin & Co.1851 $10 Baldwin & Co.1851 $20 Baldwin & Co.'1850' $10 Baldwin & Co. 'Restrike' - Silver'1850' $10 Baldwin & Co. Restrike, White Metal1849 $5 Bowie(1849) P$1 Bowie, Copper Pattern1849 $5 Cincinnati Mining & Trading1849 $10 Cincinnati Mining & Trading1849 DT$20 Cincinnati Mining & Trading1850 $5 Dubosq & Co.1850 DT$5 Dubosq & Co. Obverse Die Trial1850 DT$5 Dubosq & Co. Reverse Die Trial1850 $10 Dubosq & Co.1849 $2.50 Dubosq & Co., Copper Die Trial1851 $5 Dunbar(1849) $5 J.S. Ormsby, Plain Edge(1849) $5 J.S. Ormsby, Reeded Edge(1849) $10 J.S. Ormsby1854 $20 Kellogg & Co.1855 $20 Kellogg & Co.(1854) $20 Kellogg & Co., Copper Die Trial1855 $50 Kellogg & Co., Copper Die Trial'1855' $50 Kellogg, Commem Restrike1855 $50 Kellogg & Co.'1855' $50 Kellogg - Original Dies Restrike'1855' $50 Kellogg, Commem Restrike1854 $20 Kellogg & Co.1849 $5 Mass & Cal'1849' $5 Massachusetts & California Co.1849 $10 Massachusetts & California Co., Brass Restrike'1849' $5 Massachusetts & California Co.(1849) $10 Miners' Bank1849 $5 Moffat & Co.1850 $5 Moffat & Co.1849 $10 Moffat & Co., TEN D.1849 $10 Moffat & Co., "TEN DOL."1852 $10 Moffat & Co., Close Date1852 $10 Moffat & Co., Wide Date1853 $20 Moffat & Co.1852 $10 Moffat & Co., Wide Date1849 $5 Norris, Gregg & Norris, Plain Edge1849 $5 Norris, Reeded Edge1850 $5 Stockton1849 G$1 Pacific Company1849 P$2.50 Pacific Company1849 $1 Pacific Company-Silver1849 $5 Pacific Company1849 $10 Pacific Company(1849) DT$1 Pacific Company, Uniface Silver Strike1849 $5 Pacific Company, Copper Die Trial1849 $5 Pacific Gilt Copper Piefort1851 $5 Schultz1851 $5 Schultz, Copper Die Trial1851 $50 LE Humbert 880 Rays1851 "880" $50 LE Augustus Humbert, No "50"1851 "880" $50 LE Augustus Humbert, "50" Reverse1851 "887" $50 LE Augustus Humbert, "50"1851 "887" $50 LE Augustus Humbert1851 "880" $50 RE Augustus Humbert1851 "887" $50 RE Augustus Humbert1852 "887" $50 RE Augustus Humbert1852 $10 Augustus Humbert1852/1 $10 Augustus Humbert1852/1 $20 Humbert1851 $50 LE Humbert, Copper1851 $50 PE Humbert, Copper1851 "887" $50 RE Augustus Humbert1852/1 $20 Humbert2009 2.5oz Humbert Commemorative1852 $10 U.S. Assay Office, K-121852 "887" $50 U.S. Assay Office1852 "887" $50 "Assayer" Inverted1852 "900" $50 U.S. Assay Office1853 $10 Assay 8841853 "900" $10 U.S. Assay Office1853 "884" $20 U.S. Assay Office1853 "900" $20 U.S. Assay Office1853 $20 Assay 9001852 $5 Wass, Molitor & Co., Small Head1852 $5 Wass, Molitor & Co., Large Head1852 $10 Wass, Molitor & Co., Small Head1852 $10 Wass, Molitor & Co., Large Head1852 $10 Wass, Molitor & Co., Close Date1855 $10 Wass, Molitor1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co., Small Head1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co., Large Head1855 $50 Wass, Molitor & Co.ND $9.43 Moffat IngotND $14.25 Moffat IngotND $16 Moffat Ingot(1850) $18.00 Meyers & Co. IngotNo Date $20 Jas. King of William IngotNo Date $20 Diana Gambling House1850 $36.55 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $37.71 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $40.07 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $45.34 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $47.71 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $50.00 FD Kohler Ingot1850 $54.09 FD Kohler Ingot1856 Blake & Co., Copper(1849) Moran & Clark Copper Die Trial1851 San Francisco Standard Mint1851 State of California, K-1a1851 State of California1851 State of California, K-31851 San Francisco, State of California, Gilt1851 State of California

From one type coin to a complete catalog

  • One representative coin: Choose one problem-free, readable example and learn the size, edge, and major design.
  • Major-type set: Use one coin per major design to show changes in artwork, composition, or production.
  • Dates and mints: Work through the issue catalog by date and mint, defining special finishes separately.

A note on catalog records

This page uses 110 issue records, 0 modeled varieties, and currently reported mintages; unknown values remain unknown.

Sources

  1. Baldwin & Co. Ten Dollars, 1851 — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
  2. Three Gold Rarities That Escaped the Melting Pot — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
  3. California Gold category reference — PCGS CoinFacts