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5 Dollars - Clark, Gruber & Co.
| Issuer | Clark, Gruber & Co. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Heraldic eagle displayed with wings spread, clutching an olive branch in the dexter talon and a bundle of arrows in the sinister talon, closely following the design of the U.S. federal heraldic eagle. The eagle faces to its right, with a shield on its breast. The circular legend .CLARK GRUBER & CO DENVER. arcs around the upper periphery, while the denomination .FIVE D. is inscribed along the lower arc of the legend. |
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| Mintage | 1861 |
| Additional information |
Clark, Gruber & Co. was a Denver banking and assaying firm that began striking its own gold coinage in 1860 when the nearest federal mint was in New Orleans — effectively unreachable for Pike's Peak miners needing to convert raw dust into spendable money. The 1861 five-dollar piece was produced at their Denver facility using local Colorado placer gold, which typically assayed slightly above standard fineness, meaning early recipients often got marginally more gold than a comparable federal issue.
The U.S. government purchased the Clark, Gruber operation outright in 1863, converting it into the Denver Assay Office — which, notably, did not strike coins for public circulation until 1906.