1879 $1 Gold Type 3 PCGS MS66

Introduction

The 1879 $1 Gold Type 3 graded PCGS MS66 is a high-grade Gem Mint State example of the final major design type of the United States Gold Dollar. Certified MS66 by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), this Philadelphia Mint issue combines exceptional preservation with the appeal of a low-mintage nineteenth-century gold coin. With just 3,000 business strikes produced, the 1879 Gold Dollar represents a limited issue from the later years of America's smallest gold denomination.

History

The United States Gold Dollar was introduced in 1849 during an era of rapidly expanding domestic gold production. The denomination was authorized following significant gold discoveries in the United States and provided a way to convert the nation's growing supply of the precious metal into federal coinage. Its extremely small physical size, however, presented practical challenges and contributed to multiple design revisions during the series.

The Type 3 Gold Dollar was introduced in 1856 and remained in production through the denomination's final year in 1889. Chief Engraver James B. Longacre revised the previous design by enlarging and flattening Liberty's portrait, helping improve the quality and consistency of the strike. By the late 1870s, Gold Dollar production had fallen dramatically, and the Philadelphia Mint produced just 3,000 business strikes in 1879. Graded PCGS MS66, this example survives in an exceptional state of preservation from this low-mintage issue.

Design

The obverse features James B. Longacre's left-facing portrait of Liberty wearing a feathered headdress with a band inscribed LIBERTY. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the portrait. Introduced in 1856, the Type 3 design features a larger and flatter portrait than the preceding Type 2 Gold Dollar, a modification intended to improve striking quality.

The reverse displays the denomination 1 DOLLAR and the date 1879 within an agricultural wreath. Corn, wheat, cotton, and tobacco are incorporated into the wreath, representing important American agricultural crops of the period. The absence of a mintmark identifies this example as a product of the Philadelphia Mint.