(1849) G$5 J.S. Ormsby, Plain Edge K-1a

Coin / United States of America / G$5 / J.S. Ormsby / 1849 / Sacramento, California

Only two J.S. Ormsby $5s have been recorded in the numismatic literature: a (reportedly) plain edge specimen that was stolen from Willis Dupont in 1967, and a reeded edge example that is permanently impounded at the Smithsonian Institution. Images of the Dupont specimen show that it was struck from essentially perfect dies, while the Smithsonian example has a substantial cud at 6:00 on the obverse, which obscures the lower third of “CAL.”