Fractional Gold Comes To Market: The Maurice Storck Collection

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,465
CCFPress Press Manager United States 1420 Posts	Posted 10/10/2020 5:27 pm NGC - Collecting California fractional gold coins is a fascinating pursuit, as many of the coins are tangible links to one of the most exciting eras of American history. An 1853 Octagonal Liberty Gold 50 Cent piece (BG-302), graded NGC MS 63, an example of a the "peacock reverse." Next week, Heritage Auctions will be offering the Maurice Storck Collection. Storck was a coin dealer who was active starting in the 1950s and famously attended the King Farouk sale that was held in Cairo, Egypt in 1954. When he died last year at the age of 97, he was the last US numismatist who attended that sale in person. His collection contains an interesting array of US rarities and will be warmly received, as are all old-time collections when they enter the marketplace. While reviewing the catalog, one section was of particular interest to me: over three hundred lots of Californian fractional gold coins. This is a very comprehensive offering and is sure to garner considerable attention from specialized collectors of this series. Read the Entire Article Report this Post to the Staff

sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21786 Posts	Posted 10/10/2020 5:45 pm From what I have been able to perceive, there are lots of fakes and copies of fractional gold, some of them very deceiving. Always good to familiarize yourself with the many versions of the genuine examples to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Lots of pictorial research would be needed. Report this Post to the Staff
bobby131313 Forum Dad United States 24154 Posts	Posted 10/10/2020 5:48 pm Yes, we've had several fakes cross our paths over the years. Shop CCF Members on eBay. Report this Post to the Staff
suipakpaikungfu Pillar of the Community United States 992 Posts	Posted 10/11/2020 2:44 pm Great pieces of history and relatively cheap. Report this Post to the Staff
thq Pillar of the Community United States 3343 Posts	Posted 10/11/2020 3:43 pm One thing that fascinates me about California fractionals is the air of fraud they have. Right from the very start, they were underweight by 20-30% compared to mint issued coins. They filled an opportunistic niche created by the scarcity of small change. After the 1850's they lost any importance as money, but they soldiered on as early California souvenirs and keepsakes. I dredged the internet for information on the engravers, many of whom were French. Deriberpe shows up on the fringes of the law in France, disappears for a decade, reappears in San Francisco in the early 1850's, then disappears forever. His initials are seen on many of the early dollar coins. I haven't picked one up for a while. They're not as inexpensive as they used to be. "Two minutes ago I would have sold my chances for a tired dime." Fred Astaire Edited by thq 10/11/2020 3:52 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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