1853 $1 BG-526a MS

Announced on November 6, 2021, BG-526a is new die variety of California Fractional Gold Dollar has been discovered by Ken Glickman, an avid collector and researcher of California Fractional Gold for more than two decades. The new variety has been confirmed by California Fractional Gold specialists Ronald J. Gillio, Robert D. Leonard, Jr. and John Pack. The new variety designation for this unique specimen will be listed as BG-526a, as that comes between BG-526 (1853) and BG-527 (1854) in the BG reference book.

Issued in round and octagonal shapes, California fractional gold issues were struck to fill a void of circulating coinage in the territory. There are approximately 90 different varieties of the one-dollar denomination cataloged in the Breen-Gillio (BG) reference guide.

Obverse Description

The obverse is the same as that of BG-526, and is easy to match, as follows: There are three prominent die cracks (one above the portrait, connecting the head to the rim, and two near 3 o’clock, connecting the upper and lower portions of the hair bun to the rim). The bold nature of these breaks makes them easy to identify. Since they are heavier in this pairing than seen in the BG-526 usage, they must always be present in this marriage.

Reverse Description

The reverse die differs from that used for BG-526, however, and has been determined to match the die used to strike the unique BG-529, but in an earlier state.