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One-of-a-Kind H. Toler, Monterey $1 Currency Specimen

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:2,000.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
One-of-a-Kind H. Toler, Monterey $1 Currency Specimen
SOLD
1,900.00USD+ (380.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2016 May 14 @ 15:13UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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This unique piece from the American Bank Note Co. archives measures 7.5” x 3.25” and was printed on thick paper. The right side has some small smudge marks, but otherwise excellent condition. It was printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson. N.Y. The obverse vignettes are of Geo. Washington and Ben Franklin, along with a central clipper ships scene and an eagle with shield at the bottom. On the back a purple stamp reads “Property of American Bank Note Co. SPECIMEN." This bank note surfaced years ago when the American Bank Note Co. archives were sold off over a period of years. It was previously unknown. Payable in specie, it must be from the 1848-9 period at the beginning of the California Gold Rush. Hopeful Toler came to Monterey, California in 1847 on board the Prebble with his two daughters, carrying a dispatch of some kind. His son T. Wm. P. Toler followed shortly after. Toler had been a consul to the US in Puerto Rico in 1832. He possibly went to the Washington area in the 1840s, but more research is necessary. He went with his family to the mines in 1848-9, according to Bancroft (v5,p749). In August, 1848 he was appointed a notary public and translator in San Francisco. By 1853 he had moved to San Pedro. In summary, little is known of Toler. He was acting in some capacity for the government when he arrived in California before the Gold Rush. The advent of the Gold Rush caused him to consider circulating scrip from Monterey. At the time Toler arrived, Monterey was flying the American flag under the Command of Commodore Sloat, who had claimed Monterey for the United States, even though it was owned by Mexico. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 made most of the West part of the USA officially, including California. In 1849, Monterey held the first state constitutional convention, but it was not the capital. Since no issued notes are known, and little else of Toler is currently known, it is doubtful any were ever issued, even though Toler used the most prominent bank note printer and engraver for this specimen. This is a "must have" for any Gold Rush collector. City: Monterey State: California Date: c1890 ID# 37220