From the earliest days of our country, there was almost always a shortage of specie - universally accepted coin - because of the lack of precious metals. The great gold strikes of the mid 1800s changed all that, dramatically producing a flood of wealth, but bickering between the silver and gold interests, and between the Territorial, State and Federal governments, ended in no mints being built in these new goldmining areas. Once again there was a shortage of specie and a return to the barter system.Many private companies and individuals rushed in to fill this void, establishing private mints in such gold-producing regions as Southern Appalachia, California, Utah, Oregon and Colorado and averted a monetary crisis in the areas.
The story of this hearty breed of pioneer coiner is told in these pages. Life on the frontier was an exciting experience, and Private Gold Coins and Patterns of the United States captures this excitement. The stories of the men - some of them rogues who took advantage of the chaotic situation, others, like the Mormons, strictly accounting for every grain of their gold dust - makes for fascinating reading. In addition to learning about this little-known period in our history, there are eight appendices - one a numismatic first: a complete and comprehensive catalog of private gold coins, listing every known issue, its date, denomination, edge characteristics, weight, rarity, brief description, and photograph. Dimensions are 10 1/4" tall by 7" wide with 406 highly illustrated black and white pages including the index. Buy-It-Now for $19.99 and BOXED media mail is $4.00 in the USA! We never ship books in envelopes, bubble wrap or padded mailers!