CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD

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The One Hundred Greatest Items Of United States Numismatic Literature Rank: Number 63


Davis 142

It is most fitting that Private Gold Coins And Patterns Of The United States (#62), and #63 in our survey are adjacent entries, for Breen and Gillio tell “the rest of the story,” and one does not have the whole picture of private gold without both references. While Kagin focuses on sexier high denomination gold, this work covers the thumbnail sized small change, again issued privately and dictated by the needs of commerce before the San Francisco mint was able to process silver in any useful quantity. Hundreds of catalog entries, liberally photographed, describe varieties of California small denomination gold – quarter, half, and whole dollars. Auction citations and pedigrees are especially rich – indeed, this is truly a “buyer’s guide” for the series. The second edition, published by Bowers & Merena in 2003 and among the last of the great B&M titles, contains much new research contributed by Robert D. Leonard, including data on the Smithsonian holdings, and is highly recommended.

1st Edition, Softbound

First Edition.Photo courtesy of Heritage Numismatics.
First Edition.
Photo courtesy of Heritage Numismatics.

BREEN, Walter H. & GILLIO, Ronald. CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD: HISTORIC GOLD RUSH SMALL CHANGE 1852–1856 AND SUPPRESSED JEWELERS' ISSUES 1859-1882.
Santa Barbara CA: 1983
160pp, illustrated
Quarto
Softbound: Pictorial card covers


1st Edition, Deluxe

First Edition, Deluxe.Photo courtesy of Thomas Wetter Numismatic Library.
First Edition, Deluxe.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Wetter Numismatic Library.

BREEN, Walter H. & GILLIO, Ronald. CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD: HISTORIC GOLD RUSH SMALL CHANGE 1852–1856 AND SUPPRESSED JEWELERS' ISSUES 1859-1882.
Santa Barbara CA: 1983
160pp, illustrated, two Cibachrome plates with tissue guards
Quarto: 29 x 22.5 cm
Hardbound: Blue half morocco, blue cloth sides, lettered in gilt

Limited to 100 copies. Though thought to be limited to the actual subscriber run of 49 copies.


2nd Edition, Softbound

Second Edition.Photo courtesy of Mark Borckardt Numismatic Library.
Second Edition.
Photo courtesy of Mark Borckardt Numismatic Library.

Wolfeboro, NH: 2003
263pp, illustrated
Quarto
Softbound: Pictorial card covers


2nd Edition, Hardbound

Second Edition Hardbound.Photo courtesy of Thomas Wetter Numismatic Library.
Second Edition Hardbound.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Wetter Numismatic Library.

Wolfeboro, NH: 2003
263pp, illustrated
Quarto: 28.5 x 22 cm
Hardbound: Blue pictorial boards




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