5 Dollar, John Parsons & Co., United States, 1861
date: label: Date made
content: 1861
name: label: maker
content: John Parsons & Co.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: One (1) 5 dollar coin
label: Description (Brief)
content: United States, 1861
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Image: Quartz reduction mill.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Obverse Text: JNO PARSON & CO. / ORO
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Image: Eagle with shield clutching arrows and olive branch.
label: Description (Brief)
content: Reverse Text: PIKES PEAK GOLD / FIVE D.
label: Description
content: The other pioneer mint in Colorado was the brainchild of an Indiana metallurgist, Dr. John D. Parsons. He appeared in Denver in the summer of 1858, and soon headed for Oro City with his assaying tools. He set up a business at Tarryall Mines, midway between Tarryall and Hamilton.
label: Description
content: John Parsons's chosen trade was now that of coiner. He struck quarter and half eagles, whose obverses depicted a stamping mill, that essential piece of equipment for separating gold from its quartz matrix. A somewhat crude rendition of the American eagle held sway on the reverses of his coins. Parsons's products look primitive compared with Clark, Gruber's wares, and they may have been struck by hand.
label: Description
content: However they were created, very few have survived. Six of John Parsons's quarter eagles are known, and only five of his halves.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Colorado
label: place of issue
content: United States: Colorado
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
label: See more items in
content: Coins, Currency and Medals
label: See more items in
content: Josiah K. Lilly Jr. Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Estate of Josiah K. Lilly
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: NU.68.159.1179
label: accession number
content: 283645
label: catalog number
content: 68.159.1179
objectType: label: Object Name
content: coin
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: gold (overall metal)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis)
label: Physical Description
content: 0 (overall die axis measurement)
label: Physical Description
content: struck (overall production method)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 22.2 mm; x 7/8 in