The San Francisco mint opened in 1854 and it made gold coins up through 1930. I have seen more interest in San Francisco gold coinage in the last five-ten years than I have at any other time in my numismatic career, and I feel that San Francisco gold coinage is an especially fascinating segment of the market.
Imagine, if you will, that the coin market is a sushi bar. You look in the cases and you see the familiar fish: salmon, albacore, mackerel, and regular tuna. Off in the corner, in a special case there is the prized (and pricey) fatty tuna (or Toro) wrapped in special paper and brought out for special customers only. That fish, in our Numismatic Sushi Bar, is Proof Gold: rare, unusual, and very expensive.
If I had to select the Most Popular Branch Mint it would likely be Dahlonega. These gold coins have become an avidly-sought after area of the market with collectors from all over the country building sets...
After almost 50 auctions between June, 2018, and April, 2025, involving some 6,800 coins, the Stack’s Bowers Galleries (SBG) Fairmont sales have officially ended…
