The Brasher Doubloon is a rare American coin, privately minted in and after 1787.

History

In 1787, Ephraim Brasher http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~silversmiths/makers/silversmiths/68194.htm, a goldsmith and silversmith, submitted a petition to the State of New York to mint copper coins. The petition was denied when New York decided to not to get into the business of minting copper coinage. Brasher was already quite highly regarded for his skills, and his hallmark

Hallmark

A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...

 (which he not only stamped on his own coins but also on other coinage sent to him for assay) was highly significant in early America. Brasher struck various coppers, in addition to a small quantity of gold coins, over the next few years.

One of the surviving gold coins, weighing 26.6 grams and composed of .917 (22-carat

Carat (purity)

The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...

) gold, was sold at public auction for $625,000 in March 1981.

On January 12, 2005 Heritage Auction Galleries

Heritage Auction Galleries

Heritage Auction Galleries is the world's largest collectibles auctioneer and the third largest auction house, with over $700 million in annual sales and 600,000 online bidder-members...

 sold all three varieties of Brasher Doubloons as part of their Florida United Numismatists U.S. Coin Auction, Platinum Night Session. The coins realized $2,415,000 for the New York Style EB Punch on Wing NGC AU55, $2,990,000 for the unique New York Style EB Punch on Breast NGC XF45 and $690,000 for the rare but less iconic Lima Style Doubloon.

The coin was the subject of nefarious goings on in Raymond Chandler

Raymond Chandler

Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...

's Philip Marlowe

Philip Marlowe

Philip Marlowe is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler in a series of novels including The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye. Marlowe first appeared under that name in The Big Sleep published in 1939...

 mystery The High Window

The High Window

The High Window is a 1942 novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is his third novel to feature Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe.-Plot introduction:...

. It is also mentioned in Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block is an acclaimed contemporary American crime writer best known for two long-running New York–set series, about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, respectively...

's Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery The Burglar Who Studied Spinoza and John Bellairs

John Bellairs

John Anthony Bellairs was an American author, best known for his well-respected fantasy novel The Face in the Frost as well as many gothic mystery novels for young adults featuring Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, and Johnny Dixon.-Biography:After earning degrees at University of Notre Dame and...

's The Mansion in the Mist.

External links

• Brasher's Doubloons – Introduction
• Legendary Coins & Currency: Brasher Doubloon, 1787
• Brasher Doubloon in the collection of the American Numismatic Society
  American Numismatic Society
  The American Numismatic Society is a New York City-based organization dedicated to the study of coins and medals.-Introduction:...
  
  .