1852 Wass, Molitor & Co. (San Francisco) $5 Gold. Large head. PCGS graded VF-30. Pointed bust on this variety. In truth, this specimen is beat up, attesting to "honest use" in the wilds of the gold fields and mining towns of the Gold Rush days. The amount of wear also indicates that it served its purpose, which was to alleviate the shortage of "small change" (five bucks was nothing in the boom towns, which reeked of inflation) at the time. However, the color of this coin makes up for a lot of its minor dents and bangs. It's an orange gold topped by a reddish purple. The collector who consigned this (and some others here) kept his treasures in those red-velvet trays fashionable in Europe. This may have contributed to the ancient colors found here.
