1855-D Gold Dollar
kevinstang
Posts: 1,520 ✭✭✭
Viewed this today for a friend, been in his family for many years, what's everyone's opinions on grade etc..? Definately a rare piece of gold- well in my opinion and from what I have been reading 
2
Comments
XF45? Cool piece!
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Certainly a very rare coin! If authentic, I would grade VF/XF harshly cleaned. Really tough to tell from those photos.
Here are two that I have owned, both net graded.
Rare coin. Better pics needed.
Latin American Collection
From those pics...AU Details Harshly Cleaned.
It is a very rare one if authentic. It certainly has planchet problems and weak strike which are the norm for this one. The total population estimate is 60-80 for all circulated pieces.
I can’t tell in the picture if there are clash marks. If so, with the obvious weaknesses, I’d lean towards authentic.
Great date, but it looks cleaned. Still should be certified.
Cool, I hope it turns out to be real, I’ve heard that this design of coin is heavily counterfeited. The weak first 8 in the date seems to match the other examples that people posted, which is a good sign
Mr_Spud
Fantastic coin even if it is cleaned its great to see these out in the wild.
My Collection of Old Holders
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Looks authentic. I can't tell if it has been cleaned or not based the pics provided. The parallel lines near the mintmark looks like a fingerprint. If should be submitted for grading, authentication, and slabbing. Please share the results if it's sent in.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
That coin is o.k. and rare. The only gold dollar that I have is common and EXTREMELY polished. I bought it long, long ago and thought it was great because it was SO SHINY! The dealer must have thought I was really dumb. I was. And most likely stone drunk. Thank God for this forum. Live and learn.
I wished I had a better camera and the lighting could be better- but thats best I could get for pictures - other results were worse. Going to have a trusted more experienced northeast dealer look at it this weekend- and then we will see what he (owner) decides to do with it. It belongs to an older retired gentleman, and he has no need to rush sell it or anything like that. Just planning for his childrens future inheritance. I was glad to just handle and look at such a coin. So often I have people bring or tell me about rare coins in their family and I have to be the (coin collector for over 40 years) one to dissapoint them- this time looks like I did not. I have the feeling it will be submitted in near future- most likely to PCGS. It does have signs of the clashing on both sides, just hard to photograph with my phone. I rescued it from years of being stapled into an old manilla envelope- and gentlly placed it into a vinyl 2x2- so I believe the fingerprints must have been on the coin when I opened it up. Thanks everyone for the opinions and advice will pass along to the friend the info that most likely he has a genuine rarity!
The coin appears to be authentic, and certainly worth submitting. Please let us know what the outcome is when graded. Cheers, RickO
Tried pictures with my phone again, not sure if much better than first set:
You should strongly suggest to your friend to get it slabbed to protect the coin and to make it easier for his heirs to sell it. Make sure he knows to not clean it or otherwise mess with it.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Looks better than I thought from the first pics. Maybe AU 50, but still cannot tell on the cleaning. I hope that black mark above the ear is not a scratch?
Good advice here, definitely get it certified.
Rare coin.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Here's the piece in my collection. It's PCGS graded EF-45. When you look at the luster, I think that it is 5 points better. With a mintage of 1,811, The estimated number of survivors is said to be 80 to 85.
Angle shots
The OP coin is a piece that needs to be certified even if it comes back in a net grade holder.
Congrats to your friend! Super tough $1 with low mintage and survivability... I would definitely recommend getting it slabbed. If nothing else, having it in an Authentic holder and away from potential drops and cleanings is a good thing...
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I remember that coin of yours Bill. It is exceptional, a full date and really well struck. The OP coin is the more common weak date.
All of the mints seem to have had trouble with the date, especially the 8. Bill’s is especially nice for any 1855.
Here is my latest P 1855.
@BillJones that 1855D example is superb. Finding one essentially fully struck puts it in the top tier of the series. Regardless of grade, it would be more valuable than the typical weakly struck one several grades higher, IMO.