United States 1861 gold dollar
The introduction of the gold dollar in 1849 filled a desperate need as silver dollars were hoarded, being overvalued, and paper dollars issued by the aptly named "broken banks" were not trustworthy. Numismatists divide the gold dollar issues into three types: type I (1849-54), 13 mm diameter, type II (1854-56), 15 mm diameter, and type III (1856-89), 15 mm diameter with a revised headdress. This date is common but still obtains a 20% premium over the 1858 and 1859. The original poster of these images commented, "MS estimated Population 1500-2500. Estimated circulated population 4000-7000. Many saved in high MS condition, typically lustrous and well struck Some struck with clashed dies, occasional medal alignment." The gold dollar was finally dropped in 1889, long after it had become unwanted.
Recorded mintage: 527,499.
Specification: 1.67 g, 0.900 fine gold, .048 troy AGW, 19 mm diameter, reeded edge, designed by James Longacre.
Catalog reference: KM 86.
- 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.
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