Tips on Using CoinFacts #13: California Fractional Gold

The recent publicity surrounding the discovery of the Saddle Ridge Hoard of U.S. gold coins resurrected memories of the Gold Rush, the San Francisco Mint, and gold coins in general. Now, the whole world knows about this incredible treasure. However, there is one area of coin collecting that very few people know about, and that is California Fractional Gold. Thus, this month's tip takes a look at these fascinating coins and how they can be found on PCGS CoinFacts.

California Fractional Gold coins were made by a variety of private minters from 1852-1857, in denominations of 25 Cents, 50 Cents, and 1 Dollar. The coins made during this period were meant to circulate alongside all the other Pioneer California coins of higher denominations then in use at the time. The purpose of the California Fractional Gold coins was to provide a more convenient coin for smaller transactions. Later (from 1858-1882), private minters and merchants produced additional California Fractional Gold coins, primarily for use in jewelry. Even these later issues are in big demand.

Some of the California Fractional Gold coins mimic the larger Pioneer California Gold coins, such as the Augustus Humbert and U.S. Assay Office $50 "Slugs", even down to their octagonal shape. Others mimicked the new U.S. One Dollar gold coins. Still others featured an Indian Head, the Arms of California, or the head of George Washington.

PCGS CoinFacts presents all of the different varieties as published by Walter Breen and Ron Gillio. These appear as BG- numbers in both PCGS CoinFacts and on the inserts of PCGS-graded California Fractional Gold coins. To view a complete listing of these coins, a narrative explanation, and an image of a nice 1853 Gold Dollar, click here. Click on any of the individual links to learn more about each variety. Some of the more interesting, rare, or unusual varieties include BG-220 (the "Defiant Eagle"), BG-301, BG-302 (the "Peacock"), BG-435 ("Arms of California"), BG-604, and BG-892. Each page features an image of the variety, complete Value-View information, and Condition Census rankings.

Take some time to poke around in this section, but, be careful, because collecting California Fractional Gold Coins can be addictive!