Laguna Beach man's $7 million gold coin in spotlight
The coin, along with a $10 million silver coin, will be on display at money fair.
By DONN PEARLMAN
Special to The Orange County Register
Wednesday, July 29, 2009

1787 Brasher Doubloon, insured for $10 million.

Laguna Beach – The famous Brasher Doubloon, the first gold coin made in the United States that was hand-struck in 1787 by George Washington's New York City neighbor and is now owned by a Laguna Beach resident, will be a featured exhibit at the World's Fair of Money® in Los Angeles, Aug. 5 to 9.

The unique coin is insured for $7 million for the five-day public display by Steven L. Contursi of Laguna Beach, president of Rare Coin Wholesalers of Dana Point.   The World's Fair of Money is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors.

"Being the first gold coin struck in the United States makes the Brasher Doubloon a national treasure with tremendous significance for American history," said Contursi.   "It underscores the beginnings of our economic system."

He also will exhibit what many numismatic experts believe is the very first silver dollar struck by the United States Mint in 1794.   It is insured for $10 million.

This will be the first time these two coins with a combined insured value of $17 million have been publicly exhibited together in Southern California, and only the second time they've ever been shown together anywhere outside a museum.

The Brasher Doubloon was struck in 1787 by George Washington's Manhattan neighbor, silversmith and well-known political figure of the day, Ephraim Brasher.

Only seven Brasher Doubloons of this type survive today, and Contursi's is the only one with the designer's initials, "EB," punched across the breast of an eagle depicted on the coin.   The other six have the initials on the eagle's right wing.

The unique Brasher Doubloon was kept in Baltimore for nearly 100 years when it was owned by Baltimore & Ohio Railroad magnate T. Harrison Garrett and his family, and later by The Johns Hopkins University.

The show will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center West Hall A, 1201 S. Figueroa St., and is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

For additional information about the Brasher Doubloon and Rare Coin Wholesalers, visit online at www.RCW1.com. For additional information about the World's Fair of Money, visit www.WorldsFairofMoney.com.