Mormon Island & State of Deseret
Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, was the site of the first widely recognized discovery of gold that triggered the California Gold Rush. Members of the Mormon Battalion who had fought in the Mexican-American War settled around there and were working for foreman James Marshall at the time. A couple of months later, the Mormon Battalion created and settled their own mining town called Mormon Island. In 1853, Mormon Island had a population of more than 2,500.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints administered the Mormon Territory, then known as the “State of Deseret”. Deseret means “honeybee”, which explains the coin design choices mentioned in this article. The State of Deseret was a provisional state proposed in 1849 to govern their settlements in the Great Basin, and was never officially administered or recognized by the federal government.
The coins were produced at the Deseret Mint to address a shortage of currency, using California gold brought back from mormon Island. Known examples are dated 1849, 1850, and 1860. The Federal Territory of Utah in 1850 was established, and the Mormon Territory was dissolved.
Coin Design Details
A three-pointed Phrygian crown, symbolic of the Mormon priesthood, is above the all-seeing Eye of God on the $2.50 coin obverse. Around the periphery is “HOLINESS TO THE LORD”. The reverse depicts two clasped hands, with the date “1849” below them, and the legend has “G. S. L. C. P. G. – TWO. AND. HALF. DO.” meaning “Great Salt Lake City Pure Gold”.
Later in 1849, a $5.00 Gold Coin was struck. This coin was exactly like the $2.59 coin, except that the denomination changed from “TWO. AND. HALF. DO” to “FIVE. DOLLARS”. The reverse design was identical to that on the smaller denomination.
They then struck a $10.00 denomination gold coin. The obverse was exactly the same except that the size of the coin was obviously larger. The reverse, however, underwent several changes. Around the periphery was “PURE. GOLD.” and “TEN. DOLLARS.”.
The $20.00 gold coin, the largest denomination in this series, was struck in 1849. Once again, the obverse was larger but similar in design. The reverse had the same design as the prior, but around the periphery were “G. S. L. C. P. G.” and “TWENTY. DOLLARS”.
In 1850, another $5.00 gold coin was struck. The obverse design was modified significantly. The Phrygian cap was modified, and a halo was added over the All-Seeing Eye of God. The reverse still had the two hands shaking and the date “1850” under them. Around the periphery was “G. S. L. C. P. G.” for “Great Salt Lake City Pure Gold” with the denomination at the bottom periphery “FIVE DOLLARS.”
The last coin to be struck by this Mormon community didn’t occur for another 10 years. In 1860, another $5.00 gold coin was struck, and it was the final coin in this series. However, this coin was completely redesigned.
The obverse now bore a depiction of a seated lion lying on a grassy field, facing left. Around the periphery was “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” but it was written using the new Deseret alphabet.
The reverse depicts an eagle with its wings spread, and it has a Mormon beehive on its chest. The legend “DESERET ASSAY OFFICE PURE GOLD” was around the periphery.
Gold Coin Purity & Coin Rarity
But Mormon Gold had experienced problems gaining acceptance outside the Mormon community. Unlike most private gold coins, the 1849- and 1850-dated pieces were only about 0.800 fine. It is believed that because the Mormons were not experienced assayers or minters, they were unaware that the gold out of the ground was, itself, not pure.
The 1860 Mormon $5 gold coins reportedly had higher fineness than earlier issues, and surviving examples are rare and sought by collectors. Of the approximately 4,000 total coins minted, probably fewer than 500 total coins exist today. Expand your collection today and shop other California fractional and territorial gold coins.
