Itsus writes: I found a 1850 Ten dollar coin from Baldwin and Co. Could you tell me whats it’s worth. Thank you
The Baldwin and Co. coins are part of the category of Private and Territorial gold and refer to coins not struck by a United States government body. Coins of this type were minted in response to the dearth of coinage available for commerce in the Western U.S. The “coin crises” occurred during the “gold rush” period of 1849-1861 though there are earlier Eastern private coinages by Templeton Reid and the Bechtlers.
George Baldwin and Thomas Holman were jewelers in San Francisco when these private coin were manufactured. The gold $10 coin is dated 1850 and shows a rider on horseback, the date below, and the words CALIFORNIA GOLD and TEN DOLLARS. The reverse shows an eagle with outstretched wings between BALDWIN & CO and SAN FRANCISCO. There is a series of stars to the right and left of the eagle.
These coins are quite rare and are prized by Territorial collectors. They bring large sums when they are offered for sale. A VF specimen might bring $15,000 or more with uncirculated specimens bringing twice that. There are lots of brass copies of these coins, some sold at museums or tourist shops. For most of us, that is about as close as we are going to come to one of these beauties.
See: Territorial Gold Coins – California Issuers
