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Message:: [QUOTE="900fine, post: 206215, member: 6036"]It's interesting to note how QUICKLY things changed after the very first discovery of gold. It only took a few months for the discovery to ripple all the way across the continent to Philadelphia to give us these interesting (and valuable) pieces. I think everyone understood the significance - it dramatically affected America's financial standing in the world. It would be interesting to learn more about the many ripple effects... very beneficial to a young nation. One of the effects was the introduction of gold $1 and $20 the very next year - 1849. And California statehood one year later - 1850. Classic example of the historical value of numismatics. Anyone have any insights on why the Mint went to the trouble of stamping the CAL 1/4 Eagles ?  Since it was a unique, "dedicated" stash of bullion, maybe it was their way of tracking exactly where that 228 ounces went. Maybe it was like tagging, to route the finished pieces to their rightful owner. Roughly speaking, a 1/4 Eagle has 1/8 oz of gold (a little less). Thus, 1,389 pieces consumed about 168 ounces of gold... almost three-fourths of the original stash of 228 ounces. So the "left-over gold" was the great majority... Anyone know what happened to the Congressional Medals - the priority use of the bullion ? Great post, Clinker. Maybe some specialists will chime in. A lot of food for thought on this one.[/QUOTE]