Book Reivew: "California Pioneer Fractional Gold" (2nd ed.)

If the new edition of CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter
Breen and Ronald J. Gillio were only a superlative work of numismatic
scholarship, that would justify owning it. If the gripping historical
narratives were published alone, the book would be still be a valuable
addition to a numismatist's reference shelf. Combined, the neticulous
data and their cultural context make this a "must have" book for any
collector of American money.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD might seem a narrow interest, not
much different from a good work about the life of James Longacre or
national banknotes. This book is unique because it brings deep
understanding to the most puzzling monetary artifacts of the
California Gold Rush, itself a paradigm for the Americanization of the
frontier continent. CFPG raises deeper questions about what money is,
when people need it, how it is created, and how the wider market
validates it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD does more than examine curious
little coins, though it does this thoroughly. San Francisco was an
intensely commercial society, isolated from civilization. Money was as
important as fire, yet circulating media were rare. Any and all
silver and gold coins found some market, no matter what their
intrinsic weight or fineness. Coins from all over Europe passed in
trade with those from the United States, Mexico and Peru. In this
roiling cauldron of commerce, with gold omnipresent, it was
inevitable, perhaps, that someone would make small gold coins. So we
would like to believe.

So believed Walter Breen. He had a libertarian faith in the validity
of privately issued dollar and fractional dollar gold coins as a
circulating medium. However, for all of his scholarship, and as
substantial as was his devotion, he could deliver few facts relevant
to that question. Dan Owens's essay in this book presents new facts
from primary sources to show that these small gold coins did, in fact,
pass in commerce.

The groundbreaking work of Breen and Gillio's first edition left a lot
of unanswered questions. CPFG sets the record straight. Primary
source material has been built in to commercial biographies of the
minters. More importantly, the new work carefully parcels out the
original issues from the "jewelers pieces" and other replicas from
succeeding generations.

Those who demand factual accounting in historical writing -- as
opposed to the easy gloss of an authority's opinion -- will appreciate
the extensive footnoting to original sources that supports the
narratives. When one newspaper account comes from another, both are
cited when known. When a one source has been lost, that fact is noted,
as well. Quotation from and citations to personal correspondence
provide insight. In every way, this book does for the first edition
what that seminal work originally did for the study of small gold
coins of the California Gold Rush.

In the generation after the '49ers, jewelers in California, and in
other places, continued to make these little gold charms. Those
minters are not just identified: they are dossiered. The same has
been done for the third wave, which continues to the present. Some of
these knock-offs were made from old dies. Some are imports in good
gold with a pioneer look to them. Others have shown up in major
auctions over the last 50 years.

The dealer or collector seeking to attribute a coin can rely on the
charts that clearly map out the nearly 3,000 photographs. The
methodology of CFPG alone recommends it to any numismatist. We all
seek order. This book demonstrates how to find it, or create it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter Breen and Ronald J.
Gillio (A new second edition, Revised and Enlarged) by Robert D.
Leonard, Jr., Jay Roe, Jack Totheroh, Ronald J. Gillio, Robert Lecce
and Richard Lecce (March 2003 by Bowers and Merena Galleries).

Michael
ANA R-162953
MSNS 7935

This is one of those books that I acquired and set on the shelf to read "at
a later date." Guess I'll have to move it to my "read now" stack." Thanks
for the excellent review.

"Michael E. Marotta" wrote in message
om...
If the new edition of CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter
Breen and Ronald J. Gillio were only a superlative work of numismatic
scholarship, that would justify owning it. If the gripping historical
narratives were published alone, the book would be still be a valuable
addition to a numismatist's reference shelf. Combined, the neticulous
data and their cultural context make this a "must have" book for any
collector of American money.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD might seem a narrow interest, not
much different from a good work about the life of James Longacre or
national banknotes. This book is unique because it brings deep
understanding to the most puzzling monetary artifacts of the
California Gold Rush, itself a paradigm for the Americanization of the
frontier continent. CFPG raises deeper questions about what money is,
when people need it, how it is created, and how the wider market
validates it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD does more than examine curious
little coins, though it does this thoroughly. San Francisco was an
intensely commercial society, isolated from civilization. Money was as
important as fire, yet circulating media were rare. Any and all
silver and gold coins found some market, no matter what their
intrinsic weight or fineness. Coins from all over Europe passed in
trade with those from the United States, Mexico and Peru. In this
roiling cauldron of commerce, with gold omnipresent, it was
inevitable, perhaps, that someone would make small gold coins. So we
would like to believe.

So believed Walter Breen. He had a libertarian faith in the validity
of privately issued dollar and fractional dollar gold coins as a
circulating medium. However, for all of his scholarship, and as
substantial as was his devotion, he could deliver few facts relevant
to that question. Dan Owens's essay in this book presents new facts
from primary sources to show that these small gold coins did, in fact,
pass in commerce.

The groundbreaking work of Breen and Gillio's first edition left a lot
of unanswered questions. CPFG sets the record straight. Primary
source material has been built in to commercial biographies of the
minters. More importantly, the new work carefully parcels out the
original issues from the "jewelers pieces" and other replicas from
succeeding generations.

Those who demand factual accounting in historical writing -- as
opposed to the easy gloss of an authority's opinion -- will appreciate
the extensive footnoting to original sources that supports the
narratives. When one newspaper account comes from another, both are
cited when known. When a one source has been lost, that fact is noted,
as well. Quotation from and citations to personal correspondence
provide insight. In every way, this book does for the first edition
what that seminal work originally did for the study of small gold
coins of the California Gold Rush.

In the generation after the '49ers, jewelers in California, and in
other places, continued to make these little gold charms. Those
minters are not just identified: they are dossiered. The same has
been done for the third wave, which continues to the present. Some of
these knock-offs were made from old dies. Some are imports in good
gold with a pioneer look to them. Others have shown up in major
auctions over the last 50 years.

The dealer or collector seeking to attribute a coin can rely on the
charts that clearly map out the nearly 3,000 photographs. The
methodology of CFPG alone recommends it to any numismatist. We all
seek order. This book demonstrates how to find it, or create it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter Breen and Ronald J.
Gillio (A new second edition, Revised and Enlarged) by Robert D.
Leonard, Jr., Jay Roe, Jack Totheroh, Ronald J. Gillio, Robert Lecce
and Richard Lecce (March 2003 by Bowers and Merena Galleries).

Michael
ANA R-162953
MSNS 7935

Thanks, Michael!

Bob Leonard

If the new edition of CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter
Breen and Ronald J. Gillio were only a superlative work of numismatic
scholarship, that would justify owning it. If the gripping historical
narratives were published alone, the book would be still be a valuable
addition to a numismatist's reference shelf. Combined, the neticulous
data and their cultural context make this a "must have" book for any
collector of American money.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD might seem a narrow interest, not
much different from a good work about the life of James Longacre or
national banknotes. This book is unique because it brings deep
understanding to the most puzzling monetary artifacts of the
California Gold Rush, itself a paradigm for the Americanization of the
frontier continent. CFPG raises deeper questions about what money is,
when people need it, how it is created, and how the wider market
validates it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD does more than examine curious
little coins, though it does this thoroughly. San Francisco was an
intensely commercial society, isolated from civilization. Money was as
important as fire, yet circulating media were rare. Any and all
silver and gold coins found some market, no matter what their
intrinsic weight or fineness. Coins from all over Europe passed in
trade with those from the United States, Mexico and Peru. In this
roiling cauldron of commerce, with gold omnipresent, it was
inevitable, perhaps, that someone would make small gold coins. So we
would like to believe.

So believed Walter Breen. He had a libertarian faith in the validity
of privately issued dollar and fractional dollar gold coins as a
circulating medium. However, for all of his scholarship, and as
substantial as was his devotion, he could deliver few facts relevant
to that question. Dan Owens's essay in this book presents new facts
from primary sources to show that these small gold coins did, in fact,
pass in commerce.

The groundbreaking work of Breen and Gillio's first edition left a lot
of unanswered questions. CPFG sets the record straight. Primary
source material has been built in to commercial biographies of the
minters. More importantly, the new work carefully parcels out the
original issues from the "jewelers pieces" and other replicas from
succeeding generations.

Those who demand factual accounting in historical writing -- as
opposed to the easy gloss of an authority's opinion -- will appreciate
the extensive footnoting to original sources that supports the
narratives. When one newspaper account comes from another, both are
cited when known. When a one source has been lost, that fact is noted,
as well. Quotation from and citations to personal correspondence
provide insight. In every way, this book does for the first edition
what that seminal work originally did for the study of small gold
coins of the California Gold Rush.

In the generation after the '49ers, jewelers in California, and in
other places, continued to make these little gold charms. Those
minters are not just identified: they are dossiered. The same has
been done for the third wave, which continues to the present. Some of
these knock-offs were made from old dies. Some are imports in good
gold with a pioneer look to them. Others have shown up in major
auctions over the last 50 years.

The dealer or collector seeking to attribute a coin can rely on the
charts that clearly map out the nearly 3,000 photographs. The
methodology of CFPG alone recommends it to any numismatist. We all
seek order. This book demonstrates how to find it, or create it.

CALIFORNIA PIONEER FRACTIONAL GOLD by Walter Breen and Ronald J.
Gillio (A new second edition, Revised and Enlarged) by Robert D.
Leonard, Jr., Jay Roe, Jack Totheroh, Ronald J. Gillio, Robert Lecce
and Richard Lecce (March 2003 by Bowers and Merena Galleries).

Michael
ANA R-162953
MSNS 7935