Abraham Lincoln
Gold Medallic Impression
Struck on 1861 $5
NGC MS 66
SOLD
This is a fascinating gold overstruck coin with an enigmatic history and production. It is an Abraham Lincoln Eagle medallic impression overstruck on a struck 1861 $5 Liberty gold coin. The obverse die is similar, if not identical to, the U.S. Mint die used to strike the Lincoln gold medal referenced as Julian PR-30 in the book, Medals of the United States Mint: The First Century, 1792-1892 by R. W. Julian. It is an illustrated history of specialty medals struck by the U.S. Mint.
The famous U.S. Mint engraver Anthony C. Paquet retired from the Mint at the approximate time of the striking of the U.S. Mint gold medals. It is believed that the Lincoln medal die was used privately outside the Mint after 1866. A raw example of this Lincoln gold medal struck on an 1861 $5 sold for $4,300 in a 2008 Heritage Auction.