Oregon Exchange Company five- and ten-dollar coins converted California gold into local money, with beaver imagery giving the originals their familiar name.
Eight 1849 catalog rows include originals and later rolled-gold or related restrikes that must remain separate.
Core specifications
- Issue period
- 1849
- Catalog mints
- Not stated
- Reported catalog mintage
- Not reported
- Composition
- Not stated
- Diameter
- Not stated
- Weight
- Not stated
A local answer to scarce coin
Oregon merchants needed dependable money while federal coinage was distant and gold arrived from California.
The private issue was short-lived, but later copies and restrikes extended its collector history.
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
A beaver, initials, and territorial inscriptions identify the Oregon Exchange Company family.
Denomination, subject, and mint mark
Denomination, weight or fineness language, and partner initials distinguish values and dies.
Representative issues that explain the series
Separate original 1849 coins from later restrikes before comparing denomination or condition.
- 1849 $5 Oregon Exchange Co. — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
- (1849) $5 Oregon $5 Rolled Gold Restrike — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
- (1849) $10 Oregon $10 Gold Restrike — N/A. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
Issue catalog
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 8 issue records, 0 modeled varieties, and currently reported mintages; unknown values remain unknown.
Sources
- Oregon Exchange Company Ten Dollars, 1849 — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Three Gold Rarities That Escaped the Melting Pot — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Oregon Gold category reference — PCGS CoinFacts