Raynors HCA 2015-05
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/21/2015
Book, “NEW VARIETIES OF GOLD AND SILVER COINS, COUNTERFEIT COINS, AND BULLION; WITH MINT VALUES”, Philadelphia. 1850. 60,[1]pp. plus plate of gold coinage. Frontis. Original printed boards, gilt-lettered cover with illustrations of gold coins, expertly rebacked in matching paper, a.e.g. Covers slightly rubbed. Very good. In a cloth clamshell case, leather label. Included as illustrative material is a sample of genuine gold from the California mines, as well as an inserted leaf illustrating California and Mormon coins, in gilt. The authors were the official assayers for the Philadelphia Mint at the time of this work's publication, and the book was intended as a guide for those unfamiliar with recent advances in coinage and assaying. The text includes much data regarding the recent strikes in California, and devotes an entire chapter to the analysis of the quality of ore coming from California. The sample is included so that the novice can discriminate between alloyed and unalloyed gold. There is also a discussion of the coinage of various countries of the world, including the TONG TSIEN of China, a "trashy coin...extremely convenient for alms-giving, a single piece being the usual quietus for a beggar." "...An extraordinary and colorful souvenir of the Gold Rush"
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