| Description: |
Highly lustrous and satiny yellow gold with a hint of prooflike reflectivity. A lovely
coin for the grade, a piece that is conservatively graded in this writer’s eyes (FVV).
Another variety that was present in "pocket change” on the ill-fated S.S. Winfield
Scott, which sank off the coast of California on December 1, 1853; two examples of BG-519
were later retrieved from that wreckage in the early 1960s. A beautiful coin for the
grade.PCGS Population: 4; 2 finer (MS-65 finest).Maker: M. Deriberpie, 1852-54.Obverse:
Large federal style head of Liberty to left, eight five-pointed stars around, one point of
the star punch broken and blunt, star five nearly touches upper hair bun, star eight
virtually attached to underside of Liberty’s bust, sharp beaded dentils around the
periphery.Reverse: Octagonal outer border of beads sharp and crisp. A star followed by
CALIFORNIA GOLD followed by another star arches around a tightly beaded circle at the
center, with DERI below the circle, 1 DOLLAR 1853 within circle in three lines, DOLLAR
closely spaced, evident repunching at the top of OLL, R slightly wider in spacing, right
leg broken, date numerals nicely formed and widely though even spaced, numerals slightly
lower in progression from left to right. Edge: Crudely reeded. Die State I: Perfect
reverse die; a break later forms from the rim through the first A in the legend. |
