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1854-D $3 AU58 NGC. The 1854-D is an issue that is wel

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:22,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1854-D $3 AU58 NGC. The 1854-D is an issue that is wel
<B>1854-D<$3> AU58 NGC.</B></I> The 1854-D is an issue that is well known to collectors as the only three dollar gold piece produced in the Georgia mint. Apparently little need was seen for this odd denomination as only 1,120 pieces were struck. Additionally, they all appear to have been carelessly produced. We say this, certainly not to impugn this coin or any other 1854-D, but because there are certain traits common to all 1854-D threes that verify such a statement and serve as characteristics of these rarities.<BR> First, virtually the entire mintage is weakly struck. This weak strike, combined with the heavy wear usually encountered, makes examples appear to be in lower grades than they actually are. Thus, high grade D-mint threes need to be graded on the basis of remaining luster, rather than highpoint wear. Second, the dies clashed almost immediately and all examples show some degree of clashing in the fields. At some point in the production of these coins, the dies were polished to remove the die clash marks. This was partially effective, but in the process the polishing also removed some of the lower relief portions of the design and attenuated the leaf to the left of the date and part of the ribbon. This piece is struck from the later state of the dies that shows evidence of this polishing. There is also some peculiarity on the obverse rim. The denticles are flat in places, and while this oddity has been noted by experts in the past no one has sufficiently explained its presence.<BR> As one might imagine, even if the 1854-D were a common coin there would not be enough examples around for collectors of Dahlonega gold and three dollar gold pieces. However, and we cannot stress this enough, this is <I>not</B></I> a common coin. The total number of '54-D threes in all grades that have been submitted to the two major services (and in many cases resubmitted and resubmitted a