3620) The 1850 Baldwin & Co. Horseman $10 Gold Coin: A Rare
example of the California's Gold Rush: Date/Year of Gold Coin issue: 1850:
The Gold Coin:
From its Vaquero roots to a Gold Rush rarity, the 1850
Baldwin $10 Horseman coin galloped through history as a unique icon of Pioneer
gold.
This exquisite 1850 Baldwin & Co. $10 in PCGS MS-63+
has been off the market since 1988.
The Tale of the 1850 Baldwin & Company Horseman - History:
The tale of the 1850 Baldwin & Co. Horseman $10 gold
coin is as captivating as the era that produced it.
Rooted in the California
Gold Rush, this remarkable piece of history stands out for its rarity and
unique and iconic design.
The coin’s history begins with Frederick D. Kohler, a
private San Francisco coiner whose innovative efforts laid the groundwork for
one of the most distinctly different coins from the Gold Rush period.
The Origins of a Legendary Design:
Frederick D. Kohler had been minting coins for the
ill-fated Miners' Bank before its collapse in 1849.
In 1850, Kohler
transitioned to his own venture, Kohler & Co., and enlisted the talents of
local engraver Albrecht Kuner to create dies for a $10 gold piece.
Unlike many
Pioneer gold issues that mimicked the U.S. Mint's Liberty Head gold coinage,
Kuner’s design took a fundamentally different approach. He crafted the
now-famous image of a vaquero, or horseman, on horseback.
Kuner’s inspiration, however, was not entirely original.
According to a 2003 article in Numismatic Perspective, the design closely
resembled an 1831 print titled Californians Throwing the Lasso by F.W. Beechey.
This print, derived from a watercolour painted during an 1826-1827 expedition to
California by artist William Smyth, depicted a vaquero roping a calf—a scene
representative of Mexican California.
While Kuner made subtle adjustments to
the original artwork, his Horseman design remains a near-exact replication of
the historical image. Although the print was famous then, it has been largely
forgotten today.
From Kohler to Baldwin & Co. - a brief Odyssey in Coining:
Kohler’s coining venture proved all too brief, and on
March 15, 1850, he sold his operation and equipment to George C. Baldwin and
Thomas S. Holman, former New York jewellers who established Baldwin & Co. in
San Francisco.
The firm adopted Kuner’s vaquero design for their $10 gold coin
of 1850 and expanded their offerings to include $5 gold coins in 1850 and $10
and $20 coins in 1851.
Notably, the 1850 Horseman $10 is the only Baldwin issue
to feature a wholly unique design, setting it apart from their later coins,
which imitated the U.S. Mint's Liberty Head motif.
Baldwin & Co. initially found success, bolstered by
Kohler’s endorsement.
However, assays conducted at the Philadelphia Mint
revealed that the 1850 Horseman $10 contained 99.6% of its stated value in
gold, representing their most honest product. Subsequent issues were found to
be debased, a practice that undermined public trust and contributed to the
downfall of private mints in California.
The Decline and Legacy of Baldwin & Co.:
Their operations crippled by negative assay results and a
state legislative ban on private mints, Baldwin & Co. dissolved on April
15, 1851.
The firm’s coins quickly disappeared from circulation, and most were
melted down for their bullion value. Today, all Baldwin & Co. issues are
rare, and the 1850 Horseman $10 holds a special place in numismatic history.
Don Kagin and David McCarthy noted in their 2023
reference America's Golden Age:
Private & Pioneer Gold Coins of the United
States 1786-1862 that only 20 to 25 examples of the 1850 Horseman $10 are
believed to exist in private hands.
Among these, a handful of Mint State
specimens rank among the finest known, making any surviving example a
collector's prize.
An ostensible Link to the Gold Rush Era:
The 1850 Baldwin & Co. Horseman $10 gold coin is more
than just a monetary artifact; it is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit
and cultural influences of mid-19th-century California.
Its distinctive vaquero
design and rich history make it a standout piece of Pioneer gold coinage.
For
collectors and historians alike, the $10 Horseman symbolizes an American era
defined by ambition, creativity, and the pursuit of prosperity.
Native American Coin Series:
3) "Potawatomi" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint whic h struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2024
4) "Creek" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin set issue: 2024
5) "Pueblo" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2024
6) "Choctaw" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance California-based Native American Mint whic h struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin set issue: 2024
7) "Mohican" Culture and History, United States of Americs (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2022
8) Native American Coin Sets - "Shawnee, Arapaho, Susquehannock, Mohican, Chippewa and Cheyenne" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins fesaturing diffferent Tribes minted by the Torrance California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2022
9) "Navaho" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2021
10) "Cherokee" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which strusk a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issued: 2021
11) "Comanche" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Natibve American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2019
12) "Caddo" Culture and History. United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint whbich struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2021
13) "Eskimo" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2021
14) "Apache" Culture and History, United States of American (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Sets issue: 2021
15) "Chinook" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2021
16) "Seminole" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted ny the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin set issue: 2019
17) "Blackfoot" Culture and History, United Stat6es of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins feasturing different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2021
18) "Fox" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins festuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, California-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Nations Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin set issue: 2021
19) "Sioux" Culture and History, United States of America (USA): A set of six Native American Coins featuring different Tribes minted by the Torrance, Californis-based Native American Mint which struck a series of Indian Sovereign Natiomns Coins that are authorised by each Tribe: Date/Year of Coin Set issue: 2021
Native American - Code Talkers serving in World War I and World War II:
1) Ponca Tribe, Code Talker, United States of America (USA): A Bronze Medal commemorates an important piece of World War I and World War II and American History: Date/Year of Medal issue: 2024
2) St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Code Talker, United States of America (USA): A Bronze Medal commemorates an important piece of World War I and World War II and American History: Date/Year of Medal issue: 2024
3) Oglala Sioux Tribe, Code Talker, United States of America (USA): A Bronze Medal commemorates an important piece of World War II and American History: Date/Year of Medal issue: 2024
4) Comanche Nation Tribe, Code Talker, United States of America (USA): A Bronze Medal commemorates an important piece of World War I and World War II and American History: Date/Year of Medal issue: 2024
Coin Invest Trust (CIT) Wild West Coin Series:
1) Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Billy the Kid - Legends of the Wild West!, Cook Islands: 250 Dollars (Gold) and 20 and 5 Dollars (Silver) Coins minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt (GmbH) at its facilities in Munich by commission of Coin Invest Trust (CIT) on behalf of the Treasury of the Cook Islands: Year of Coin issue: 2024
Links to posts on this blog on Coins issued under "American Innovation $1 Coin Programme":
Links to posts on the USA:
First Amendment to the United States Constitution: Preample to the declaration of Independence:
To view a few posts on previous COTY and Coin Constellation (Russia) winners, please visit the following links:
Posts on Coins/Rounds from the Intaglio Mint, Denver Colorado (a privately owned Mint):
Links to some more posts on the Chinese Lunar calendar/Zodiac signs on this Blog:
Old West Coin Series:
New Year Lucky Coin Releases:
