These coins came out of my deceased mom's safe deposit box. Can anyone let me know what I can expect to sell them for? More to follow. George
I don't think the top one is genuine. It would have a denomination on the back, if it was. The bottom one looks genuine, but since it is in that jewelry bezel it is only worth its spot value, which would be about $230.00. Charlie
Thanks very much for your answer. I appreciate it. it'll help me split these up between my brothers and I. I'll post a few more later on, I need to resizethe pics.
I'm not that sure. There were a lot of coins struck by a lot of different companies during the California gold rush, and the ones shown in the Red Book are only a sample. Since gold coins were valued by weight, the size of the piece would have established its value, and since the coins weren't government issue, they didn't have to conform to government stylistic requirements. If it were mine, I'd seek out the opinion of an expert on California gold..
Well I'm far from being an expert but I'm reasonably certain the Cal Gold is a token. The genuine coins all had a denomination on them. You can read about them by - CLICKING HERE
Thanks agan, you guys are very helpful. I'll follow up on the cal coin. My dad was an avid stamp collector, a world expert on something called one-penny reds, and pony express covers, a judge for the Am Philatelic society, etc, and dabbled in coins. I'd be suprised that he kept this tiny coin in its own padded box if it wasn't unique in some way (even if it were a unique fake). Again, thanks, and perhaps take this as a reminder to leave your kids notes about your treasures!
Here is a reply I received from a Cal Gold dealer. Thanks again Thanks for writing. The item that you have is a California Gold souvenir token, of the style made in the 1930s and 1940s, most likely by Tatham Stamp & Coin. It is probably very thinly gold plated over copper. It is worth $60 to me. Let me know if you want to sell it.