Oregon gold: the beaver and the private issuer

Read the issuing context

Oregon Exchange Company pieces dated 1849 use the beaver as a prominent design feature. Read the company inscriptions and value as well as the animal. These privately made pieces need their own reference, distinct from federal branch-mint gold.

Type references: PCGS Oregon Gold ↗

Inspect the attribution evidence

Photograph the beaver, letters, denomination, rims, and edge. An Oregon theme on a later medal or souvenir cannot identify the original issue. Match the complete die design and authenticated fabric before selecting a specification.

Type references: PCGS Oregon Gold ↗

Choose the matching market

Use denomination-specific, authenticated comparisons and describe repairs or mounting. A small historical issuance does not certify the specimen or establish a surviving census. Treat provenance as evidence to examine and retain current transaction dates when estimating a collector premium.

Type references: PCGS Oregon Gold ↗

Selected reviewed issue records

These catalog standards describe the named issue, not a measured specimen. The selected records below do not cover every date, mint, strike, or die variety. Reported production is labeled separately from established mintage. Unknown standards and mintage remain visible; survival estimates and certified populations are separate research questions.

No issue-level specification or mintage records are published for this category yet. Verify the exact date, mint, strike, metal, and subtype in its reference before using a numerical standard.

References and review

Reference reviewed October 5, 2026. Historical facts and catalog standards need to match the exact issue; price comparisons should be researched at the time of valuation.

• PCGS Oregon Gold ↗
• PCGS Photograde ↗
• Error-ref: machine doubling ↗

Continue collecting

• Explore Territorial and private issues
• Inspect possible mint errors
• Distinguish mintage and rarity