1851 San Francisco State of California $2.50 Die Trial. K-1a. Rarity-7-. Copper. Reeded Edge. MS-64 BN (PCGS).Handsome, fully original surfaces are toned in a blend of deep autumn and gray-brown shades. Fully struck throughout with a smooth, satiny texture. The die trials of the enigmatic San Francisco State of California were likely produced by an English firm as a proposed general coinage for Gold Rush California. The workmanship of these pieces is certainly superior to that of many die trials prepared on the U.S. East Coast by aspiring California coiners such as Moran & Clark. Additionally, Kagin (1981) notes that many San Francisco State of California die trials entered the U.S. numismatic market as part of four-piece sets that included one example each of the $2.50, $5, $10 and $20. The existence of these sets suggests an initial distribution to collectors, something that is completely acceptable for English firm during the 1850s but which would have been highly unusual for a speculative private coiner on the East Coast of the United States during the same decade. Additionally, the San Francisco State of California pieces are often encountered in attractive Mint State preservation, again strongly suggestive of numismatic ownership and care since the time of striking. An historically significant type, examples of which are usually offered individually in todays market, and then again only once in a long while.