1852 $50 California Gold Quintuple Eagle - U.S. Assay Office 887 Thous. NGC AU55

We've seen our fair-share of these majestic $50 ingots or slugs, but this one stands out above the rest. It still has it's crusty gold surfaces and rich yellow-gold patina, typical of the gold mined from the rivers of region surrounding Coloma, California. Usually these massive two-and-one-half ingots have damage and rim bumps - not so with this specimen. Just the lightest amount of wear on the high points of the design, both obverse and reverse, render the Choice About Unicirculated (AU55) opinion.