So-Called Dollar Discussions
Irvine & Jachens Early Slugs
Quote from Pioneer on December 28, 2012, 7:53 pmThe January 1848 gold discovery by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill on the American River in Coloma California was one of the most significant events in U.S. history, marking a massive migration to California and drastically changing the state’s economic and cultural landscape. The subsequent 1849 “gold rush” of over 300,000 people (the “49ers”) worldwide to California led to the extraction of over 750,000 pounds of gold (worth $2 billion at the time).
Given that no U.S. Mint existed in California in the early 1850s, Augustus Humbert (appointed U.S. Assayer for California by the U.S. Treasury Department) became responsible for minting gold coins as his San Francisco assay office. He began issuing $50 gold pieces known as “slugs” (due to their large size and weight) to help facilitate trade and commerce for miners and pioneers in California. These slugs provided a standardized government-backed currency that became more accepted over trade with impure gold nuggets and privately minted gold coins. By the time the U.S. Mint began operations in San Francisco in 1854, the use of $50 gold slugs declined, but they remain a reminder of the gold rush period.
In the late 1800s (after 1886), Irvine and Jachens became involved in slug facsimile production. Note that another company to be aware of was the Benoit Pasquale Company of San Francisco, CA. This company started in 1854 at 103 Fifth Avenue in San Francisco but primarily did a large amount of business between 1879 and 1950. This company manufactured Army and Navy Badges and other medals, and through the early 1900s, few other companies rivaled their diversity and quality, especially with respect to military uniform items, including officer swords. One item they made is shown below (badge for the 1913 National Assn of Letter Carriers Convention (www.nalc.org)). Perhaps while not a strict slug facsimile (as this medal is uniface with the back stamped "Pasquale S.F.CAL"), this item has been grouped and sold with other slug facsimiles (eg. 2008 Weber Auction and see the Jankovsky guide). It makes sense to me that a union related to a govt agency like the US Postal Service might have chosen a company like Pasquale to make a medal for this convention. I wonder if this company made any other slug facsimilies or so-called dollars?
The January 1848 gold discovery by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill on the American River in Coloma California was one of the most significant events in U.S. history, marking a massive migration to California and drastically changing the state’s economic and cultural landscape. The subsequent 1849 “gold rush” of over 300,000 people (the “49ers”) worldwide to California led to the extraction of over 750,000 pounds of gold (worth $2 billion at the time).
Given that no U.S. Mint existed in California in the early 1850s, Augustus Humbert (appointed U.S. Assayer for California by the U.S. Treasury Department) became responsible for minting gold coins as his San Francisco assay office. He began issuing $50 gold pieces known as “slugs” (due to their large size and weight) to help facilitate trade and commerce for miners and pioneers in California. These slugs provided a standardized government-backed currency that became more accepted over trade with impure gold nuggets and privately minted gold coins. By the time the U.S. Mint began operations in San Francisco in 1854, the use of $50 gold slugs declined, but they remain a reminder of the gold rush period.
In the late 1800s (after 1886), Irvine and Jachens became involved in slug facsimile production. Note that another company to be aware of was the Benoit Pasquale Company of San Francisco, CA. This company started in 1854 at 103 Fifth Avenue in San Francisco but primarily did a large amount of business between 1879 and 1950. This company manufactured Army and Navy Badges and other medals, and through the early 1900s, few other companies rivaled their diversity and quality, especially with respect to military uniform items, including officer swords. One item they made is shown below (badge for the 1913 National Assn of Letter Carriers Convention (www.nalc.org)). Perhaps while not a strict slug facsimile (as this medal is uniface with the back stamped "Pasquale S.F.CAL"), this item has been grouped and sold with other slug facsimiles (eg. 2008 Weber Auction and see the Jankovsky guide). It makes sense to me that a union related to a govt agency like the US Postal Service might have chosen a company like Pasquale to make a medal for this convention. I wonder if this company made any other slug facsimilies or so-called dollars?
Quote from Pioneer on December 29, 2012, 6:51 pmOne of the well known manufacturers of slug facsimiles is Irvine & Jachens, Inc. (now in Daly City, CA - www.irvineandjachensbadges.com). Their website has a nice section on the history of their company. As a so-called dollar collector, their name is familiar as the producers of many of the HK's that also double as slug facsimiles. If you dig back into the older slugs they are credited with making after rebuilding from the 1906 SF Earthquake, you'll find several mining tokens leading up to the PPIE.
One of the well known manufacturers of slug facsimiles is Irvine & Jachens, Inc. (now in Daly City, CA - http://www.irvineandjachensbadges.com). Their website has a nice section on the history of their company. As a so-called dollar collector, their name is familiar as the producers of many of the HK's that also double as slug facsimiles. If you dig back into the older slugs they are credited with making after rebuilding from the 1906 SF Earthquake, you'll find several mining tokens leading up to the PPIE.
Quote from Pioneer on December 29, 2012, 7:02 pm...and while not in the best of condition, here is an HK-424 by I&J related to the PPIE....
...and while not in the best of condition, here is an HK-424 by I&J related to the PPIE....
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Quote from Pioneer on March 20, 2025, 10:36 pmI've been a little confused about the difference between the Irvine and Jachens (I&J) slugs vs. the C.G. Brinker ones in Jeff and Bill's new book. It took me a while to figure this out, so I thought I would share. The I&J metal working company established in downtown San Francisco in 1886 was founded by J.C. Irvine. All early Irvine & Jachens slug facsimiles have a design representative of the Augustus Humbert $50 Octagonal Gold of the 1850s which had an Eagle on the obverse. In 1911, C. G. Brinker (of San Francisco) began having souvenir $50 octagonal slug facsimiles made by I&J (with his name stamped on the slugs) for collecting interest .. given that Edgar Adams’ hardbound book “Private Gold Coinage of California 1849-1855” had just been published. Between 1913 and 1915, I&J made varieties of souvenir slugs for the Panama Pacific Internation Exposition (PPIE), some designed by C. G. Brinker (or at least with his name stamped on them) and others without. Brinker was looking to make money... capitalize on the events of the time. Before 1915, I&J was making "miner in the creek" studs with the miner standing. After 1915, I&J began making “miner in the creek” slugs with a kneeling miner.
Some slugs are very rare, with less than 20 known to exist; however, exact production numbers are not known as the company discarded production records in 1950 when they moved to Daly City. Per Rich Irvine, the company made their last slug facsimiles in 1949, then I&J moved to Daly City, CA and never made any again. A guide to collecting slug facsimiles was issued by Tom Jankovsky in 2008. These slug facsimiles are a reminder of the California Gold Rush.
I've been a little confused about the difference between the Irvine and Jachens (I&J) slugs vs. the C.G. Brinker ones in Jeff and Bill's new book. It took me a while to figure this out, so I thought I would share. The I&J metal working company established in downtown San Francisco in 1886 was founded by J.C. Irvine. All early Irvine & Jachens slug facsimiles have a design representative of the Augustus Humbert $50 Octagonal Gold of the 1850s which had an Eagle on the obverse. In 1911, C. G. Brinker (of San Francisco) began having souvenir $50 octagonal slug facsimiles made by I&J (with his name stamped on the slugs) for collecting interest .. given that Edgar Adams’ hardbound book “Private Gold Coinage of California 1849-1855” had just been published. Between 1913 and 1915, I&J made varieties of souvenir slugs for the Panama Pacific Internation Exposition (PPIE), some designed by C. G. Brinker (or at least with his name stamped on them) and others without. Brinker was looking to make money... capitalize on the events of the time. Before 1915, I&J was making "miner in the creek" studs with the miner standing. After 1915, I&J began making “miner in the creek” slugs with a kneeling miner.
Some slugs are very rare, with less than 20 known to exist; however, exact production numbers are not known as the company discarded production records in 1950 when they moved to Daly City. Per Rich Irvine, the company made their last slug facsimiles in 1949, then I&J moved to Daly City, CA and never made any again. A guide to collecting slug facsimiles was issued by Tom Jankovsky in 2008. These slug facsimiles are a reminder of the California Gold Rush.