BG- 932A, 1876 California Fractional Gold 50C, Liberty Octagonal NGC MS66 PL - FINEST OF ONLY 2 PIECES!

Extremely rare California Fractional Gold variety—only 2 in existence! This is the finest of the two! NGC has graded this stunning piece as MS66 PL! The second is not prooflike and is graded AU58 by PCGS.

This 1876 gold 50c Liberty Octagonal piece is from period two (1859-1882) of the extensive Fractional Gold series. The Redbook type is the Small Liberty Head, made by German-American Herman J. Brand (1837-1914) of San Francisco. Obverse presents upon it 13 ‘rosette’ stars with the ends rounded as petals. The 6th star does not touch the point of the coronet, while on BG-932 it does. The ‘8’ of the date is closer to the ‘1’ than on BG-932 and is further away from the ‘7.’ Upon the reverse is found ‘1-2 DOLLAR CAL’ within a wreath, which is the same as BG-932. This variety has been assigned an X because the obverse differs from that of BG-932.

In addition to being a jeweler, Brand was also an artist-sculptor and member of the San Francisco Art Association. He had an exhibition of his artwork at the Mark Hopkins Art Institute (San Francisco) in April of 1906. It must have been early that month, for the massive earthquake of April 18 destroyed much of the City by the Bay.

Emperor Norton figurine c. 1875 by Herman J. Brand. Plaster with metal walking stick. Collection of the Society of California Pioneers.

Joshua Abraham Norton was a colorful San Francisco character. It was in September 1859 when he proclaimed himself “Emperor of the United States.” Despite his having no formal political power, he was treated deferentially in San Francisco, and currency issued in his name was honored in some establishments that Norton frequented. There were those who considered him insane or eccentric, however city residents enjoyed his imperial presence and his frequent newspaper proclamations were enjoyed by many.  Even though Norton received free ferry and train passage and many favors—including rent money and free meals from well-heeled friends and supporters—the city’s merchants profited from his notoriety by selling souvenirs that bore his image.