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Pioneer Gold Coins
Early American Frontier Coinage...

Inside This Report
• Pioneer Gold First Minted in 1830
• Where Pioneer Gold was Minted
• The Worth of These Coins

Pioneer Gold Coins were mostly minted and circulated in regional areas of the United States between 1830 and 1862.  They were made by private businessmen and used as alternatives to official coins that were not readily available on the Southern Frontier or the Western Frontier of our nation.

These businessmen not only provided an alternate coinage, but also a means for converting gold that was being mined in these areas into currency.  These private mints played an important role in the development of their regions and the nation at large.  If not for these private mints there would not have been an adequate means of exchange and commerce in these regions would not have developed.

Pioneer Gold was minted in the following areas, always upon discovery of gold in that region or a region nearby:

Southern Appalachia – Gold was discovered here in the 1830’s. This is the area of what is now western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.  It is the first region in which Pioneer Gold was minted.

California – Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in 1848.  This was the longest lived gold producing area.  It also had the greatest number of private minters.  They produced such treasures as the $50.00 slug and the small California Fractional Gold pieces.

Colorado – Gold was found here in 1858.  This led to development of this area.  The largest and most respected minter in Colorado was Clark, Gruber & Co. whose coining operations were later sold to the United States Mint.

Utah – Many Mormon settlers came to the area of Utah during the California Gold Rush.  Coinage was made from gold dust deposited as part of their church’s tithes.

Oregon – Like the Mormons, the Oregon settlers made use of the California gold dust to issue coins.  There were more settlers in Oregon at the time of the Gold Rush that in Northern California.  Thus, when the miners would return home, they needed to convert their gold into a form of exchange.

This series has long been one of the most collected and historically significant area’s in U.S. Numismatics.  These coins were struck outside of the U.S. Mint, but they were mostly used and accepted in commerce just as if they were made by the U.S. Government.

Private coins were circulated in most instances because of a shortage of regular coinage.  In the western states particularly, money became so scarce that the very commodity which pioneers had come so far to acquire was converted into a local medium of exchange. All Territorial issues are at least very scarce and most would be considered RARE. California Pioneer Fractional Gold coins are also considered part of the Territorial Gold series.

No series in Numismatics has so many ultra expensive coins; it is a rare find when one comes on the market that is somewhat affordable. Although seldom seen, many issues sell at prices well in excess of $100,000.

Many private gold coin enthusiasts argue that the gold doubloons issued by Ephraim Braher in 1787 were our country’s first private gold coins. Brasher was a neighbor of George Washington in New York at the time. One of these was sold recently for over $1,000,000 and it is to be included in the famous “Gold Rush Museum” collection.