this is a rare Territorial gold issue with limited numbers of survivors today, as most of these were melted down by the soon-to-be-opened San Francisco branch mint, which came online in 1854, and standardized coinage in the region with some effort. These designs were employed to mimic the existing $10 gold coins in circulation at the time, which were produced in 1852 in either Philadelphia or New Orleans, far from the mines of San Francisco, hence the number of private minters that sprang up during the early years of the Gold Rush. (California Gold Rush) 27.20 mm in diameter; 16.9 grams