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Lot 479 - 1855-D $1 Gold Indian NGC AU58

Currency:USD Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:12,000.00 USD Estimated At:24,000.00 - 28,000.00 USD
Lot 479 - 1855-D $1 Gold Indian NGC AU58
1855-D $1 Gold Indian. Lustrous and carefully preserved, a genuinely beautiful, high-grade specimen. The date 1855-D is legendary. Partly, this is because it is the only Dahlonega Mint Type 2 Gold Dollar; but especially because of its renowned low mintage and great rarity, for only 1,811 were struck. Only one of three dies shipped to the Mint in 1855 were ever used to strike coins. And after being struck, nearly all did what they were supposed to do, they circulated, most of them heavily. Breen traced possibly 3 Uncirculated examples, and said the date is extremely rare even in Extremely Fine grade. Added information developed later as to 1855-D's rarity from the grading census of the PCGS and NGC population reports. NGC reports (as of October 2005) only 11 certified AU58, with 5 higher; the finest reported is a Mint State 64.

In 1854 the Gold Dollar was modified, the diameter was increased from 13 millimeters to 14.86 mm, and the motif was changed from the Coronet or Liberty Head style (as introduced in 1849 and used on the $1 and $20 denominations) to the Indian Princess motif. Liberty appears as a native American, possibly from the south of what is now the United States, wearing a plumed headpiece. Related themes were used on several other United States coinage dies cut by Longacre, such as the later Type 3 Gold Dollar (1856-1889) and quite a few Patterns. Among Patterns, which extended up to and including the Silver Dollar, this style of diadem was part of a complete figure of Miss Liberty, head to toe, seated on a globe. The mint soon discovered that the Type 2 Gold Dollar was wrong for coinage purposes, as the relief on the obverse was simply too high. Metal flowed into the deep hollows of the die at that point, causing the area of the reverse die opposite in the press, particularly the central two digits (85), to only partially strike up, typically ranging from almost invisible to weak. As a result, the design was varied in 1856 to the Type 3 motif -- shallower and permitting sharper images. Dahlonega Mint struck the Type 2 only in 1855.
(#7534)
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