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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Collecting Nut, post: 7837092, member: 74863&quot;]It’s a California Half Dollar Octagonal Gold Piece. In 1850 to the California gold rush caused a shortage of coins. Private Mints in California begin producing small denomination gold Coins to alleviate that problem.</p><p><br /></p><p>A coin law was passed in April 1864 which made private coinage illegal but the law was not enforced until 1883. In compliance with the law, non-denominational tokens were made. From 1872 until 1883 both Coins and tokens were produced. After 1883 in the majority of the production was tokens.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most pieces made after 1881 are backdated to the 1850s or 60s and this circumvented the law and made them more acceptable to the public. Earlier issues have Liberty heads while later issues have Indian heads. Most have a wreath on the reverse but there are a number of designs. Over 570 varieties are known with some of them being rare.</p><p><br /></p><p>The quality of the strike and the treatment of the edge is very inconsistent. Many of these items have there makers initials.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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