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Auction 63231 | Lot 93014 » Three and Four Dollar Gold » Three Dollar Gold Pieces

1861 $3 MS62 PCGS. Unlike several large-mintage gold denominations struck in 1861, the three dollar mintage was low. Only 5,959 circulation strikes were produced. Mint State examples are scarce but available for a price, almost always in the MS62 to MS64 grade range. This is a solid MS62 coin, with a few minor marks and faint abrasions. Bright mint luster illuminates medium orange-gold coloration that deepens at the margins and provides substantial eye appeal. A tiny indent near the nose below Liberty's eye is the sole mark of note. PCGS population: 24 in 62 (2 in 62+), 35 finer (5/23). (PCGS# 7982)

Service PCGS

Grade MS62

Auction Ended

Jun 26, 2023

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Auction 63231 | Lot 93016 » Three and Four Dollar Gold » Three Dollar Gold Pieces

1863 $3 AU58 NGC. The 1863 three dollar piece boasts a small mintage of only 5,000 circulation strikes, complemented by a trivial 39 proofs. This issue is scarce in any Mint State grade and is even challenging in the upper AU levels. The current coin displays a typical strike with mild softness on the wreath bowknot, along with light high-point friction and field marks. However, moderate reflectivity remains in the protected regions. Census: 77 in 58, 54 finer (5/23). (PCGS# 7984)

Service NGC

Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Jun 26, 2023

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Auction 63231 | Lot 93002 » Three and Four Dollar Gold » Three Dollar Gold Pieces

1854-D $3 AU58 NGC. Variety 1-A. The 1854-D three dollar gold piece is one of the chief rarities of the series and boasts one of the lowest mintages as well. While coinage of the denomination at Philadelphia surpassed 138,000 pieces, branch mint involvement was restricted limited to regional commercial needs. Such needs proved to be almost nonexistent. Three dollar dies arrived at Dahlonega from the Philadelphia Engraving Department in June 1854, and by year's end, only 1,120 examples of the new denomination had been struck. In the 1855 Report of the Director of the Mint, James Ross Snowden wrote:

"The three-dollar coin, authorized by the last Congress, was issued from the mint in May last; since which time there have been struck of this coin, in value, the sum of $415,854 at the principal mint, and $73,360 at the branches. The demand for it has not been great, owing, perhaps, to the fact that it does not harmonize with the decimal system, or the division by halves and quarters, to which the people have been so long accustomed."

While the Philadelphia Mint continued to strike three dollar gold pieces on an annual basis, mintage figures were generally low, with few exceptions. Occasionally, the San Francisco Mint also produced three dollar pieces, as gold coinage circulated extensive on the West Coast. However, none of the Southern branch mints would ever strike the denomination again.

The survival rate of the 1854-D three dollar and the general condition of known specimens suggests that the coins almost exclusively serviced regional commerce in the South, with no significant exports or widespread circulation. This is also consistent with a lack of demand for the new issue, and its low mintage.

In his Analysis of Auction Records (1976), David Akers noted that he had seen a number of AU examples of this date, "but never an unequivocally mint state one." Akers records just five auction appearances of specimens (PCGS# 7970)

Service NGC

Grade AU58

Auction Ended

Jun 26, 2023

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