In 1849, when Oregon City businessmen needed currency to conduct their enterprises they said, leave it to beaver (coins), and formed the Oregon Exchange Company. Gold pieces, minted in five and ten-dollar denominations, became the loot of the land, but their present-day value was short-lived. When the San Francisco federal mint opened in 1854, the Oregon Territory was connected to the shared US monetary system, and most of these prizes were rounded up and melted down.
Few survived, so they are quite the rarity for numismatists — you know, people who study or collect coins, tokens, and paper money. If you want to add one to your own personal treasure trove, you better bring a chunk of change. They are worth between $37,000-$225,000 in today’s market.
