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Lot 0427 1863 $3 Gold PCGS MS63

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Lot 0427 1863 $3 Gold PCGS MS63
A briefly minted $3 gold piece due, no doubt, to low demand from gold bullion depositors; and a year that is usually seen with at least ten points of wear, from a mintage of 5,000 business strikes. This is a delightfully fresh looking MS63 that is characterized by nicely toned mint luster -- a trait that supports and amplifies the grade assigned by PCGS. What's more, the surfaces are relatively clean and problem-free in a sense that goes considerably beyond other choice specimens, with only a few light marks and hairlines precluding a higher assignment.

During the 1861-65 "War of the Rebellion" as it was officially called by Northern government officials, the Secretary of the Treasury was Mr. Salmon Portland Chase. He hit upon with the concrete idea that the government could issue unfunded paper money directly and then issue a moratorium on the redemption of their own paper bills in specie (gold & silver). This drove most gold coins into hiding, hoarding, or overseas. When a banker or exporter did require "specie" for payment of imports at this period, he'd have to pay a stiff premium in terms of depreciated paper greenbacks for the privilege. The average citizen never saw a gold coin in circulation after 1861.