UNC $3.00 Gold - $4.5K budget - you can only have 1 - which year and why?

Artist

For many years I have thought about collecting a $3.00 gold coin, preferably in problem-free uncirculated condition, but something that has held me back, is that I could never decide on a year.

Do you go for a common date, and get a higher grade?

Or do you get a rarer date, but then which year? For the rarer dates, I feel like the pre-civil war years have more ju-ju (very technical numismatic term) vs. the later dates which never really circulated and were primarily held as keepsakes. But then maybe a later date might come nicer, but still with the under 5K mintage?

Or do you consider an AU-58 and think about something with a mint mark, or maybe a Civil War year?

Would love to hear people's thought on this -

Artist

1876 would be a neat year to collect - America's Centenial - Battle of Little Big Horn - but $3s only came proof that year.

1879 could be fun - pretend its a Stella?

BillJones

The 1879 Three Dollar Gold has a mintage of 3,000 pieces and can be located. I owned one once. As for the others, I found 1854 to be interesting because the reverse letters are small making it a minor one year type. It's also one of the common dates.

You might check out "Coin Facts" to find a sleeper date. All of them have low or lower montages. The scarcer ones that don't a reputation might provide you a chance to own a rare date without paying a big premium.

tommy44

Any date would work for me. I'd look for one in at least AU58. With a $5K budget you should be able to find many to choose from. Unless you are looking for registry points buy one that has the eye appeal you are looking for. A common date can look just as good as a lower mintage date. I'd say anything in the 1860s would be something to be proud of. Relatively speaking they are all low pop coins.

I hope I narrowed that down for you.

carabonnair

I think any $3 with a mint mark (AU-Unc) is beyond your budget, except perhaps an 1856-S. If it were me, I would get a circulated VF-EF San Francisco because I like that they were well-used out west.

BryceM

If you're only buying one, I'd go for a common date coin in the best possible condition. That probably means an 1878 or 1889. As has been said, don't overlook a nice AU58. The very best of those have an MS63/4 look at a fraction of the price.

This one lives in an AU58 CAC holder:

QCCoinGuy

The 1878 is the most available date in high grades. And there's an interesting story about that. The Mint expected people to redeem their paper money for gold when the two reached parity. It was believed that would happen in late 1878/early 1879 (and it did). But people had grown accustomed to paper money and didn't make the trade in any significant quantity. So, the 1878 was held in storage and most are uncirculated.

ricko

So much depends on your own personal tastes and goals. Historical interest, investment, personal pleasure.... For me, I would look at what was available at a large show (or two or three) and, as in art, I would know it when I saw it.... Good luck, and let us know what you decide on. Cheers, RickO

BillJones

@carabonnair said:
I think any $3 with a mint mark (AU-Unc) is beyond your budget, except perhaps an 1856-S. If it were me, I would get a circulated VF-EF San Francisco because I like that they were well-used out west.

The 1854-O in AU-50 is not beyond his budget, but it's not a well made coin. The prices have come down on this date and mint mark combination of late. The coin usually has indifferent luster and weak devices from too many die clashes and too much resulting die polishing. Here is an AU-50 I purchased recently. This one is better than average for the grade.

logger7

You could have a dealer willing to work on a small percentage look for one meeting your criteria. It's a buyers market, and those are over-rated coins except for the really rare ones which may be hard to get in AU under $5K.

originalisbest

@BryceM said:
If you're only buying one, I'd go for a common date coin in the best possible condition. That probably means an 1878 or 1889. As has been said, don't overlook a nice AU58. The very best of those have an MS63/4 look at a fraction of the price.

This one lives in an AU58 CAC holder:

I think you mean a 1878 or 1874 for the common dates, but I agree an AU58 of one of those would be most bang for the buck as a type coin. The look will matter more than the rarity, as you won't generally find a rarity with the combination of look and surfaces you desire for the price you want to pay. If you should happen upon one and have been looking for awhile, you might decide to snatch it up.

BryceM

Yeah, the 1874 would be a good choice but the 1889 isn’t so terrible at the MS63 level. Actually, there are several other dates that would work well and would fall in a similar price range.

Treashunt

I like scarcer dates

BillJones

@Treashunt said:
I like scarcer dates

If you are buying for type, the high grade common dateds are the way to go. When I was dealer, I flipped this one very quickly to a major daaler for a nice mark-up. Despite the fact that it was an 1878, it was really nice coin that was easy to sell in an NGC holder.

asheland

They sure are pretty in MS! But a low mintage crusty original coin has a nice appeal.
I'd just see what you come across... You'll know when you see it.

ColonelJessup

I just noticed an 1872 in 58 CAC listed in an upcoming auction. A significantly lower mintage and close enough to unc it would "slide" into an MS grouping. There are many other similar date/grade situations like this in the series, and I like the idea of a non-common date. I can't imagine an 1855 in ms62 breaking away from the pack of other less-than-common dates in the 50's. Later dates, 1879 has a definitive texture with more intense pop than '78 and most every other available/affordable after then.