Blake & Co. (1856)

About This Coin

Blake & Company operated as a private gold coining firm in Sacramento, California, during the mid-1850s, producing gold coins that addressed the persistent demand for reliable currency in the state's rapidly developing economy. Their 1856 issues, weighing 28 grams with a 34 mm diameter and plain edge, represent the firm's contribution to the diverse landscape of California private gold coinage that flourished in the years surrounding the Gold Rush. Blake & Co. pieces are notable for their substantial size and weight, consistent with the $20 double eagle denomination, and they bear the firm's name prominently as a guarantee of the gold's weight and fineness. A notable auction result of $98,000 in VF grade at Stack's demonstrates the extraordinary value that even moderately circulated examples command from collectors of California territorial gold. The firm operated during a transitional period in California's monetary history, after the San Francisco Mint had opened in 1854 but before federal coinage production had achieved sufficient volume to displace private issues entirely. Blake & Company's Sacramento location positioned them to serve the mining communities of the Mother Lode region and the agricultural interests of the Central Valley. Extremely rare, Blake & Co. gold pieces are among the most elusive California private gold issues, with only a small number of confirmed survivors known across all denominations, making any appearance at auction a significant event for specialists in this field.