United States 1922 gold dollar
This specimen was lot 6276 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $3,120. The catalog description[1] noted,
"1922 Grant Memorial Gold Dollar. Star. MS-67 (PCGS). A mingling of softly frosted luster and vivid orange-gold color greets the viewer from both sides of this captivating Superb Gem. Outstanding quality and eye appeal for the discerning commemorative enthusiast."
This commemorative honored the centennial of the birth of Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant. It was accompanied by a silver half dollar of the same design. It was the last commemorative struck in the gold dollar format. It sold poorly, so the promoters persuaded the mint to strike more with the star deleted to create a new variety they could sell. The two varieties are about equally available, unlike the half dollar, where the variety with a star commands a premium.
Recorded mintage: KM 152.1 (no star) m. 5,016 + KM 152.2 (with star) m. 5,016. last gold dollar commemorative.
Specification: 1.672 g, 0.900 fine gold, 15 mm diameter, reeded edge, design by Laura Gardin Fraser.
Catalog reference: KM 152.1 (no star) or KM 152.2 (with star).
- 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, 1901-2000, 47th 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.
- Alexander, David T., Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, Sidney, OH: Amos Press, 1995.
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