1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co. Small Head MS(PCGS#10357)

1855 $20 Wass, Molitor & Co. Small Head MS (PCGS#10357)

August 2011 Chicago ANA - Rarities Night

详细说明: 1855 Wass, Molitor & Co. $20 Gold. K-7. Rarity-5+. Small Head. AU-50 (PCGS). Blended khaki-gold and rose-gold patina to both sides, the surfaces alternating between bold and soft definition depending upon the quality of strike in a given area. The reverse is actually quite blunt overall, as typically noted for the type, while the obverse is much bolder, especially in the center as well as at the date. Overall scuffy with a few moderate size abrasions also noted, although not unusually so for a large gold coin attributed to the private California minting firm of Wass, Molitor & Co. Easily among the better preserved examples of this elusive and highly desirable type, and solidly in the Condition Census.<br /> <br /> <strong>Numismatic Reflections by Q. David Bowers<br /> </strong>Among Wass, Molitor & Co. coins this is a favorite rarity. The Small Head design was by chance, was intended to be used on the $10 denomination, but used on the larger diameter $20 as well, giving a cameo effect. A small head in a large field is always attractive numismatically, and I need only mention the copper half cents of 1795 and 1796 to demonstrate this effect. The present coin is a typical example that saw use in the actual Wild West during the Gold Rush era but, fortunately, as preserved one way or another to yield this offering today.<br /> <div><br /> </div>