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Show COINED BY BRIGHAM YOUNG, Five-Dollar Uold Pieces Which Are Now Kai'itles Too Soft for Cse. County Commissioner Ballard, of San Fram-iseo, is the possessor of a rare and curious gold coin which fell into his hands in California in 1349. It is a Mormon five-dollar piece, and for many years has been employed as a charm or bangle on Mr. Ballard's fob chain. Th-owner Th-owner himself was a '49er, and took part in the early gold excitement in California. He told a New York "Re-eorder "Re-eorder man that the Mormons, who were among the earliest in the gold fields, returned to Salt Lake with great quantities of the precious yellow dust. Much gold also found its way to Utah through other avenues. Brigham Young, svho was at that time running a little government on his own account, established estab-lished a mint and coined probably one million dollars in five-dollar gold pieces. These coins very soon found their Way to California and passed current. At that early date, Mr. Ballard says, the coins were welcomed . as a great convenience in matters of exchange. The metal in the coins was unalloyed so soft and pure, in fact, that it wore away very rapidly. On this account they soon disappeared from circulation almost as rapidly as they had appeared. On one Rirte of Mr. Ballard's relic are two clasped hands, probably symbolic of brotherly love, while around the margin are the letters, ,-G. S. L. C. P. G.," standing for "Great Salt Lake California Cal-ifornia Pure Gold." Below the clasped hands are the words, "five dollars," and the date "18-19." On the other side, in the center of the coin is the all-seeing eye, and below that a beehive, while around the margin are these words, "Holiness to the Lord." Mr. Ballard has had some trouble in keeping his coin. Once he accidentally lost the keepsake, but was lucky enough to find it again. Another time a thief got into his house and took all the money from his pocket-book pocket-book except this odd-looking coin, which, at a glance, resembles a trunk check. This was more than twenty years ago. Mr. Ballard then attached it to his morocco fob chain, which is anchored to an old-fashioned silver watch the movement of which is also dated 18-19. Another of these rare coins is preserved in the National museum at Washington. |