Gorgeous 1850 Baldwin & Co. $10 MS-64 (NGC)

Are you a cowboy and Wild West lover? If so, the 1850 Baldwin & Co. $10 Gold coin. K-3. Rarity-6. Horseman Type. MS-64 (NGC) would definitely be one of your favorite specimens.

This 1850 Baldwin & Co. $10 Gold coin, K-3. Rarity-6. Horseman Type was sold in a live auction in August 2011 in Chicago for a final price of $281,750. It is known as the "Vaquero" issue, where "vaquero" is the Spanish word for cowboy. It has pale olive toning highlights and is described as having a proof-like brightness. The details of the horse and cowboy outfit are noted, as well as the sharpness of the reverse eagle. The population of this coin is estimated to be 12 to 15 pieces by Stack's Bowers.

Another 1850 $10 Baldwin & Co. (Regular Strike) MS61 coin was sold for $381,875 in 2014 by Heritage Auctions.

The history of this coinage during the California Gold Rush involves George C. Baldwin and Thomas S. Holman establishing Baldwin & Co. and purchasing the coining operation of F.D. Kohler & Co. They then issued their first coins, which were $5 and $10 gold pieces dated 1850. In 1851, they continued issuing coins, making $10 and $20 gold specimens. However, confidence in their coins was lost when it was discovered that their coins contained less gold than the stated value.