California Gold Complete Basic Set (1849-1855)

Number of
Required Items
32
Current Finest
Possible Set Rating
58.537

"Go West, young man, go West!" That popular quote, popularized by newspaperman Horace Greeley, came shortly after the Gold Rush began in 1849. Today, we use the same quote to direct collectors to this fascinating set of coins produced by a variety of minters, both private and semi-official, from the Golden State. Included is an example of the 1849 Norris, Gregg & Norris $5 (believed to be the first gold type struck in California), gold coins from Moffat & Company (famous for the high purity of their coins), official issues such as the U.S. Assay Office $20 and $50 gold pieces, and exceedingly rare issues like the $5 gold pieces struck by J.H. Bowie and the massive $50 gold pieces struck by Wass, Molitor & Co. and their competitors, Kellogg & Co. Completing this set requires hard work, ample resources, and a little bit of luck, but the end-result is a collection of incredibly historic and valuable coins.

All-Time Finest (All Eras)

Rank Set Name % Complete GPA Weighted GPA with Top
Pop Bonuses
Set Rating User
1 Garrett Collection 87.50% 45.53 R 45.91 36.11
2 Palisades Phoenix Collection 71.88% 56.05 56.30 30.78
3 Black Cat - California Gold Complete Basic Set (1849-1855) 28.13% 58.39 58.66 07.43
4 Laughing Horse 18.75% 43.33 43.33 04.33
5 Rarity7 12.50% 52.00 52.00 03.12

View Entire All-Time Finest List ›

Current Finest

Rank Set Name % Complete GPA Weighted GPA with Top
Pop Bonuses
Set Rating User
1 Palisades Phoenix Collection 71.88% 56.05 56.30 30.78
2 Black Cat - California Gold Complete Basic Set (1849-1855) 28.13% 58.39 58.66 07.43
3 Laughing Horse 18.75% 43.33 43.33 04.33
4 Rarity7 12.50% 52.00 52.00 03.12