LOVELY COLLECTOR GRADE 1852 US ASSAY OFFICE $50 “SLUG”

K-13, High R-4.

.887 THOUS Variety

If you think that the San Francisco of 2026 is expensive (I’m looking at you, Mr. $6,500 one bedroom apartment), check out prices from Gold Rush San Francisco, where the real estate was just as outrageous as it would become some 175 years later during the AI Rush of today. And there is no better physical manifestation of inflationary 1852 San Francisco then the fact that thousands of $50 slugs were made, and that most of them circulated; some rather extensively.

This has to be among the nicer $50 Slugs of any design type in this grade range. It is free of serious edge knocks and shows nice natural yellow-gold color with some reddish hues seen in the recesses of the obverse The overall detail is excellent for the issue and some luster still remains in the nooks and crannies on the obverse.

To me, a slug is the ultimate Sophisticated Trophy Coin and its history and background far exceed other US trophy issues such as High Reliefs or Pan-Pac $50’s. They are truly scarce when they are unmolested—like this one— and I dare you to pick up this coin in its slab and not be impressed by its heft and bulk.

There are no comparable APR for CAC approved PCGS EF40 or 45 USAOG $50 Slugs. You can locate a low-end example in this grade range for $30,000 to $35,000 but “you get what you pay for” which, in this case, is an absolute Gem for the grade. I noted a recent still-active PCGS/CAC EF40 example on Great Collections bid up close to $50k with a few days left to go until it sold.

CAC has approved a total of 20 K-13 Slugs in all grades with three in EF40 and 14 finer.

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