U.S. Coin Library

Gold Dollars (1849 - 1889)

Three different designs of gold dollars were issued by the United States. They are very small and they were the smallest regular issue coins made by the United States.

Type one, minted from 1849 through 1854 features a head of Liberty wearing a beaded coronet or crown surrounded by stars. The second type slightly larger, has a head of Liberty in a feathered Indian headdress surrounded by United States of America. This type was made in 1854 and 1855 only. The third Gold dollar type was made from 1856 through 1889 and has a similar design to the second type except that the head is much larger. On all three types the mintmark, if any, can be found below the wreath on the reverse.

Type 3 Gold Dollars are the ones most commonly found and are often used in jewelry, particularly bracelets and earrings. Many counterfeits were also made of this design, most notably having the dates 1861 or 1862. Type One gold dollars were also used for jewelry but to a lesser extent.  Type 2 Gold Dollars are scarcer than either of the other types.

What Would You Like To Know About?

Go back to Coin Information Home page.