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1/4 Dollar - California Gold
| Issuer | United States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1853 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
California fractional gold pieces were not federal coinage — they were privately struck tokens produced to fill a desperate shortage of small change in the goldfields, where federal coin rarely trickled down in usable denominations. The 1853 date places this piece among the earliest of the type, produced before any serious federal attempt to address the problem. Dozens of private makers operated in San Francisco and beyond, and attributing specific pieces to specific dies and issuers remains an active area of specialist study.