Liberty Gold Dollar G$1 Type 3, 1856-1889 PR DCAM [Type]

Designer: James B. Longacre. Weight: 1.672 grams. Composition: .900 gold, .100 copper (net weight .04837 oz. pure gold). Diameter: 15 mm. Edge: Reeded. Mints: Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, San Francisco.

Key to Collecting: After having emerged from the Variety 1 and Variety 2 gold dollars, you are home free, so to speak, with dollars of the Variety 3 design minted 1856 to 1889. Actually, this is not true—for chances are good that you will find a nice Variety 3 before you acquire either of the earlier designs. Gold dollars of the Variety 3 style did not circulate extensively (except in the West), and today most pieces grade EF or better. Mint State coins abound, particularly for the dates 1879 through 1889, during which time they were a popular investment and speculation, and despite their being currently minted (only at Philadelphia) they sold for a slight premium in the marketplace.

Aspects of Striking and Appearance: While most Variety 3 gold dollars are well struck, it will pay to check the features, including the portrait of Liberty, the date and wreath on the reverse, and the denticles.

Proof Coins: Proofs were produced of all years and, when seen today, are typically from the 1880’s. At the time gold dollars were a popular investment and speculation, and many orders were placed for them. That said, the figures cannot be regarded as proportional to the pieces existing today, for the last year, 1889, of which 1,779 Proofs were reported to have been struck, is today a great rarity and is several times more elusive than are the lower-mintage dollars of 1884 to 1888.