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Mormon Gold Coins + 8 Other Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

With the turbulent early days of the Church came the loss and destruction of many items the Saints regarded as precious. Here is a look at some of the rarest books, coins, notes, and documents salvaged from Church history.

1830 Book of Mormon and "References to the Book of Mormon"

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

1830 Book of Mormon

The 1830 Book of Mormon is extremely desirable for many collectors. Although it is not the rarest LDS book, it is the starting point of the Church in this dispensation and, as such, it is indispensable for serious collectors. Five thousand copies of the first Book of Mormon were printed for a cost of 75 cents each. Today, it is estimated that only a few hundred copies in any condition remain–even scarcer are complete copies.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Microsoft founder Bill Gates purchased an 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon in 1998? 

Replicas of the 1830 Book of Mormon are available for purchase at deseretbook.com.

"References to the Book of Mormon"

"References to the Book of Mormon” was printed to help missionaries find their way around the first Book of Mormon. These two back-to-back sheets were simply placed inside copies of the 1830 Book of Mormon and served as the very first index. Since they weren’t attached, most were easily lost or destroyed. Page for page, these are among most rare and expensive printed pages in Latter-day Saint history.


1833 Book of Commandments

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

When the early Church was about to publish its first collection of printed revelations in a book titled Book of Commandments, the press on the upper floor of William W. Phelps’s home had thousands of pages waiting to be folded and cut. But on July 20, 1833, a mob broke in, chased Sister Phelps and her children out, and began to destroy the press. They dumped the printed pages into the street and planned to destroy them.

When no one was looking, 15-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her 13-year-old
sister Caroline grabbed up as many sheets as their little arms could hold and ran. They were seen and chased but never found.

The pages they saved that night were hand cut and bound. Homemade covers of leather, goat hair, and even wood were used to complete the books. The pages Mary and Caroline saved produced about 15 incomplete copies of the Book of Commandments.

When an extremely rare complete copy came up for auction at Christie’s in New York in 2001, it set a record for the most money paid for a nineteenth century American book: $391,000.


1835 Doctrine and Covenants

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

Not long after the mobs destroyed the Book of Commandments, the Brethren went to work on compiling another Book of Commandments. However, because the new book would contain more than just commandments, it was agreed that the title would be changed to Doctrine and Covenants. In an 1835 conference, this new Doctrine and Covenants was accepted as scripture.

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1836 Kirtland Safety Society Notes

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photos by Stefan Hallberg

The first of several Mormon currency endeavors began in 1836 at Kirtland, Ohio.  Where their membership had grown significantly in Ohio, the young church attempted to establish a bank.

After the Ohio legislature denied their charter, they created the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company. These notes are from that era and as typical with these documents, they are signed by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon.


1842 Book of Mormon (2nd Nauvoo Printing)

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

This fifth edition is not the most expensive LDS book, but it is actually the scarcest of all copies of the Book of Mormon. It is the last edition printed under the direction of the Prophet in Nauvoo. Because his father had passed away before its completion, it is the only volume that credits Joseph Smith without his usual suffix “Junior.”


1843 Nauvoo Land Deed

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

One of the sad legacies of the early Church is that the Saints were attacked and forced from place to place. Many Saints fled with only their children and a few clothes. Countless meaningful records, journals, and documents were lost, abandoned, or simply destroyed. This 1842 Alonzo Le Baron Nauvoo land deed contains a very rare collection of signatures, including Joseph Smith, William Clayton, Newel K. Whitney, and W.W. Phelps. It auctioned in 1964 for more than the then-asking price of a first edition Book of Mormon.


Mormon Coins

9 Rare Artifacts from Early Church History

Photo by Stefan Hallberg

1846 "Do Your Duty" Coin (left)

While camped in Iowa Territory, Church member Peter Haws created this brass coin. He embossed one side with a beehive and the slogan "Do Your Duty." On the other side, he embossed hands clasped together with the motto "Union Is Strength." The coins were used as currency among Church members throughout Pottawattamie County.

1849 Gold $10 Coins (right)

In 1848, President Brigham Young directed that a mint should be established to produce gold coins in the new settlement of Great Salt Lake City. Up to that time, paper slips signed by Church leaders had served as currency.

Coin production began in 1849. Like all 1849 gold Mormon coins, the ten dollar denomination features an open eye and a crown surrounded by the words "Holiness to the Lord." The reverse side of the coin shows two hands clasped. "Pure Gold" and "Ten Dollars" is written around the hands.

Unfortunately, when the coins reached non-Mormon territories, they were rejected because of their substandard weight. Some banks accepted them with a 25 percent discount, but most of the coins were melted outside of Mormon territory.

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