1855 G$1 MS66+ PCGS Secure. CAC....

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1855 Type Two Gold Dollar, MS66+
Thick Mint Luster and Deep Reddish Patina

1855 G$1 MS66+ PCGS Secure. CAC. The Type Two gold dollars were a design of Mint Engraver James B. Longacre, and like several issues of varying denominations in the 1850s, they bear his "signature"--the distinctive Slanted 5s that informed numismatists prize. (The generally accepted theory, at any rate, is that Longacre favored the Slanted 5s, while the Upright 5s known for several 1850s issues were the work of an apprentice.) Although the 1856 Type Three gold dollars are known in both Slanted 5 and Upright 5 varieties, all of the 1855 dollars show the Slanted 5s.
The mintages of the 1854 and 1855 Type Two gold dollars are virtually identical--783,943 examples of the former compared to 758,269 of the latter, according to the 2011 Guide Book. Even at the extreme upper end of Uncirculated survivors, the certified populations are exactly the same in MS65 and better grades with 99 examples of each certified. That includes 16 examples of the 1854 in MS66, with three in MS67 and two in MS68. For the 1855, those services have graded 23 examples in MS66, with nine MS67s finer (there are no MS68s certified). The total NGC and PCGS population is also statistically identical. As always, those figures are certain to include duplications.
The finest 1855 Type Twos that we have handled include about a half-dozen different MS66 examples, and three pieces in MS67. As the rarest gold type coin that is usually included in gold type sets, the Type Two gold dollars are the subject of intense demand. The few finest MS67 coins certified have sometimes seen auction records well into the six-figure range. The highest auction record we know of currently for the 1855 Type Two is an MS67 that sold in a Stack's auction in October 2008 (lot 1114) for $126,500.
This marvelously lustrous coin has deep reddish-gold color over both sides, with two strips of lilac interspersed on the reverse. The striking details are strong throughout, with the only weakness on the reverse on the 8 in the date. As one would expect from an MS66, the surfaces are nearly abrasion-free but die-clashed, as usual.
From The Bob Simpson Collection.(Registry values: N10218)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# 25C4, PCGS# 7532, GSID# 8016)

Metal: 90% Gold, 10% Copper
Weight: 1.67 grams
AGW: 0.04838oz
Mintage: 758,269

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