United States 1849 gold dollar
The first specimen was lot 1025 in Sincona Auction 103 (Zürich, May 2026), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"USA, 1 Dollar 1849, Philadelphia. Liberty head type. Open wreath. No L. Selten in dieser Erhaltung. (Rare in this condition. NGC MS65.)"
The second specimen was lot 1026 in the same sale, where it sold for 3,000 CHF (about US$4,572 including buyers' fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"USA, 1 Dollar 1849, Philadelphia. Liberty head type. Closed wreath. Selten in dieser Erhaltung. (Rare in this condition. NGC MS65.)"
Gold dollars were issued 1849-89, with type I (shown here) minted 1849-54. The California Gold Rush depressed gold prices to the point where silver coins no longer circulated, prompting the mint to issue the gold dollar. Eventually, Congress solved the problem in 1853 by lowering the weight of the half dime, dime, quarter and half dollar.
Recorded mintage: 688,567, all varieties.
Specification: 1.672 g, 0.900 fine gold, .048 troy oz AGW, 13.0 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 73, Fr-84.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
- Breen, Walter H., Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, New York: Doubleday, 1987.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Yeoman, R. S., and Kenneth Bressett (ed.), A Guide Book of United States Coins, 65th Ed., Atlanta, GA: Whitman Publishing, 2011.
- [1]Richter, Jürg, Michael Hardmeier, Michael Otto, Arne Kirsch, Ruedi Kunzmann and Timur Demirai, SINCONA Auction 103: World and Swiss coins and medals, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2026.
Links to: