1852 U. S. Assay Office Gold 50 Dollar Imitation Antique Souvenir Spoon, C. 1915
Assay Office Gold 50 Dollar Imitation Antique Souvenir Spoon, Circa 1915. Length 120 mm, bowl diameter 46 mm. Floral pattern handle is topped by the standing figure of a California Gold Rush miner with pick and raised hand, STERLING is impressed at the back of the stem. This identifies Bavarian-born Georg Albrecht Ferdinand (Albert) Kuner, who prepared the dies for a number of well-known Pioneer Gold issues. His name appeared only on the later British Columbia issues of 1862. According to Donald H. One obverse was salvaged from the ruins and used to produce a very limited number of spoons at the time of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915. Although the details of the manufacture and distribution are unknown to us, it’s not unlikely that Farran Zerbe was involved, as he operated the numismatic concession at the Panama-Pacific Exposition. Examples of these spoons are of great historical importance and the few known are ardently sought by collectors of pioneer gold coins and associated items. (Info from Stack & Bowers).