The Midwest Summer Sale 2011
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Lot
948
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Please Note: A 15% Buyers' Premium is added to the hammer price of all lots in this sale.
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(About The Images)
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Lot Title:
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1855 $50 WASS-MOLITOR. NGC XF-40.
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Description:
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The San Francisco mint was already in operation by 1855, but production difficulties led to low mintage and a desire on the part of westerners to supplement the meager Federal coinage with privately minted hard currency. Samuel Wass and Agoston Molitor had already established a rock-solid reputation for the quality and actual fine gold content of their earlier coins, having struck several denominations through 1852. They were approached by San Franciscan bankers in 1855 about the possibility of resuming operations, and Wass-Molitor acquiesced, coining $10, $20, and $50 pieces in 1855. A coin of the size and heft of a $50 slug is assured of receiving and delivering substantial contact during use, and the obverse displays a few scattered, prominent contact marks. None is individually distracting, and for that matter, they are pleasantly distributed throughout the field space, rather than concentrating a distracting effect into one area. The reverse shows rather prominent impressions of reed marks from other coins, and judging by their width, it seems likely that they were other $50s! On this side, they tend to be gravitated toward the center, across the denomination. (PCGS# 010363)
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Low Estimate:
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$40,000.00 |
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High Estimate:
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$45,000.00 |
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Lot Status:
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Bidding has been closed for this lot. |
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Hammered Price: |
$34,250.00
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Price Realized:
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$39,387.50 |
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Price history for items of the same classification:
| Lot # | Auction | Current Bid or Hammer Price | Description |
| 784 | The Collectors' Auction 2008 on 10/17/2008 | $58,250.00 |
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1855 Wass-Molitor $50. PCGS AU-50.
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As is usually the case for these massive chunks of gold, moderate abrasions pepper each side due to use in circulation. Distinctive rouge toning accents all the devices, producing an even more bold... |
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