1852 $5 Wass, Molitor & Co., Small Head MS(PCGS#10339)

1852 $5 Wass, Molitor & Co., Small Head MS (PCGS#10339)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Losbeschreibung: This is our first offering for a Small Head Wass, Molitor & Co. $5 since 2008, which is not surprising given the rarity of both varieties of this lowest denomination gold coin produced by this private California minter. A lovely example at the assigned grade level, vivid bright gold surfaces reveal tinges of pale olive under a light. Overall detail is bold for the type and with plenty of mint luster remaining it is obvious that this coin saw little in the way of actual circulation. Moderately abraded, nonetheless, but with no singularly mentionable marks apart from a dull nick and associated graze at star 3 on the obverse. The eye appeal is strong and, indeed, one would be hard pressed to find a nicer example of either variety of this issue.<p>Wass, Molitor & Co. commenced coinage operations on January 6, 1852, with half eagles of the Large Head variety, Kagin-2. Don Kagin and David McCarthy (<em>America's Golden Age</em>, 2023) observe, "The Small Head Kagin-1 Wass Molitor $5 shares a reverse die with the Large Head variety, and has been seen with reverse die cracks, indicating that it was struck subsequent to the Large Head variety." The authors allow for only 10 to 12 survivors of the Small Head variety (along with around a dozen for the Large Head), and since any example is a significant rarity, our offering of this Condition Census PCGS AU-55 is a fleeting opportunity that deserves aggressive bidding from California Gold Rush enthusiasts.