It doesn't show in the photos but there is a faint pink-gold iridescent color. It's dated 1859 and has a plain edge. Liberty faces left. There are 13 stars on the obverse and 1 centered on the reverse. CALIFORNIA forms an arc above the reverse Star while GOLD arcs below the star. This is a low grade gold at 8 Karats fineness. The price was a steal. I had to own it and now I do.
This is actually a modern reproduction, most likely made in the 1960s or 1970s. It has none. It is a modern replica in the style of a California token. All of the California fractional gold pieces will have their denomination on the coin, because they were intended to be used as money (well, most of them - later pieces were made for collectors). The OP stated that it is about 8k fineness. A genuine piece would be significantly higher than that.
I have seen these referred to as tokens, charms, or trinkets. This is about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in size. It only cost a couple of dollars. Apparently they kept using the dies as long as somebody was willing to buy these.
I'm glad that @RonSanderson posted this example. Another key identifier of modern reproductions or imitations is a bear - many modern imitations have an image of a bear, but originals don't.
Many of the bears look more like bears. But, knowing that bears are a thing on modern reproductions, I instantly recognized this as a bear.
Of course we do, but most recognize and forget that most forgery's look much closer to the currency they are imitating.
