WORLD COINS

Before the establishment of the San Francisco Mint, the monetary situation in California was very complicated due to the lack of circulating gold coins. In response to this, a group of Californian bankers approached John G. Kellogg and G. F. Richter in December 1853, urging them to establish a coining facility to produce “private” gold coins. In February 1854, the first $20 pieces were issued, with a commitment to mint 20,000 dollars daily. In April of that same year, the San Francisco Mint opened, but faced many production problems. Consequently, the bankers asked Kellogg to increase his production, a request to which he readily complied. His coins were universally accepted and his work was praised by the local press. In early October, Kellogg & Richter dissolved their partnership, and in April 1855, a new one was established, Kellogg & Humbert, which by May of that year was supplying many more gold coins than the new San Francisco Mint, which only began operating at full capacity later that year. At that point, Kellogg's coinage ceased. All pieces minted in 1854 and 1855 were $20 coins. While there was a project to mint $50 coins, all known pieces of this denomination are proofs, suggesting they likely did not progress beyond the experimental phase. These coins featured designs similar to those produced at the Philadelphia Mint but were distinguished by the inscription KELLOGG & CO replacing LIBERTY on the diadem of Liberty. Additionally, the reverse side bore the name of the minting place SAN FRANCISCO - CALIFORNIA instead of the country’s name.