1851
Augustus Humbert $50, Reeded Edge, 880 THOUS. PCGS XF-45.
Kagin-5, Breen 7706, Rarity-5. This is the reeded edge version of the
famous Gold Rush era $50 ingot or slug issued by the US Assay Office in San
Francisco. Since this provisional mint operated very much like a
regular branch mint, many numismatists collect this and related issues as
part of the Federal coinage.
This example has original medium orange-gold toning. As is typical of
coins of this size and weight, there are a number of ticks scattered about
on both sides, though none of these is individually significant or
distracting. There are far fewer edge bumps than normally seen.
In an Early American Numismatic Auctions sale held in December 2000, an
example of this coin, grading PCGS XF-40, sold for
$14,950. Someone probably overpaid. PRICE: $11,750.
SOLD (for a bit more...).
