California
Gold
(From a post by Celluloid)
1. California denominated fractional gold -- these
pieces have a denomination and the word dollar or dol. on the reverse and were
first privately made shortly after the Gold Rush to provide small change which
was in short supply at the time. When sufficient coinage was available some
production of denominated fractional gold continued for a short time as many of
the pieces were kept as souvenirs. There are numerous gold plated and modern
fantasy California fractional gold pieces.
2. California gold charms -- the popularity of the California
fractional gold pieces as souvenirs led several San Francisco jewelers to make
similar sized and shaped gold pieces without denominations for sale to tourists
and other visitors. Many of these gold charms date from the 1850's on with some
similar items of lesser quality being issued right up to the 1932 Olympics.
Almost all of the genuine gold charms are very thin and vary greatly in quality
of engraving; they feature Indians, George Washington and birds among other
devices on the obverse with a great variety of reverses.
There are also modern copies and fantasy issues of these charms most of
which are plated and easy to differentiate by their thickness. The gold charms
have been recognized for a long time as many varieties are listed in Burnie, the
first modern catalog on small California gold. The original genuine gold charms
do not bring as much money as the denominated fractional gold coins but they
usually bring at least $20(each) with scarcer varieties bringing several times
that amount or more.