1860 $10 Colorado Gold - Clark Gruber 'Pikes Peak' Eagle NGC XF40

Here’s a truly rare piece from the heady days of the Colorado Gold Rush, struck in Denver at the Clark, Gruber & Co. Bank and Mint. The specialist in territorial gold will want to study this listing carefully, for it may very well be the newest addition to his or her collection. NGC has graded 4 as XF40 with 64 finer. Collectors Universe prices this issue at $26,500.

The Bank and Mint of Clark, Gruber & Co., circa 1860. Photo: denverlibrary.org.

The most successful private mint in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado was the Leavenworth, KS, company of Clark, Gruber & Co. The banking facet of their operation opened its doors for business on July 10, 1860, in Denver City. Thus it was one of the first banking firms in the Colorado Territory. Most of their business was in raw gold: dust, nuggets, ore, and rough ingots.

They determined quite soon that the expense and danger of shipping their gold to the Philadelphia mint was simply too high. Therefore, since at the time it was legal for private firms to mint their own coins, Clark, Gruber & Co. purchased equipment and dies necessary to do so. They established their own mint in Denver, issuing gold coins in the denominations of $2-1/2, $5, $10 and $20.