1849 $10 California Gold Eagle - Moffat & Co. TEN D. PCGS VF25

Moffat & Company, located at the corner of Dupont and Clay Streets, San Francisco. John Little Moffat was born at Goshen, N.Y., in Feb., 1788.  He lived in New York City until the mid-eighteen thirties, at which time he relocated to Northern Georgia where he became involved with some gold mines he had earlier purchased. In his early years Moffat had learned the trade of a silversmith, and while in Georgia became interested in assaying.  Subsequently, as a highly competent assayer and metallurgist, he returned to New York and became associated with the firm of Wilmarth, Moffat & Curtis.  Early in 1849, he migrated to California, where he organized the firm bearing his name in San Francisco.  His partners in Moffat & Co. were J. R. Curtis, S. H. Ward, and P. H. Perry.

Moffat & Co. commenced the issue of gold ingots to supersede the circulation of gold dust in June, 1849.  Examples recorded and reported range in stamped value from $9.43 to nearly $3,000.00, although the basic issue consisted of $16.00 pieces.  Early in August of 1849, Moffatt & Co. began to issue ten-dollar gold coins from dies hurriedly cut the previous month by Albert Kuner, a Bavarian, newly arrived in San Francisco.  It is believed that this presently-offered TEN D. variety was the first issued.  In the fall of 1849 five-dollar gold coins appeared bearing the Moffat stamp.  These were also struck from dies prepared by Kuner.

The Moffat establishment was the largest, best known, and most highly regarded of all the California coining firms.  The original company formally dissolved in February, 1852, when Mr. Moffat left the firm and a new co-partnership was formed, composed of Messrs. Curtis, Ward, and Perry, to operate the United States Assay Office of Gold.  This operation later became, after sale to the federal government, the U. S. Branch Mint at San Francisco.