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Does anyone collect Gold Dollars? Show your tiny treasures!
RB1026
Posts: 1,469 ✭✭✭✭
Curious how actively this series is collected. Do people put together sets or is it just a type piece for most? I find them appealing but the size makes them tough on my eyes 
I assume this is true for many.
I don't currently own any, but am kicking around the idea. If you're a fan of these little gems, post some and share your reasons for your interest in the series, please. Thanks!
EDITED: Just picked up my first, an original old crusty 1849-O PCGS XF40, pics posted on page 2.
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Realized I do have a small run of them, they are the first ones in the link. While they are attractive, they are very tiny, especially the type 1s! I'm betting most people collect for type, not sure how "hot" this series is,
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uq0xmhHnpW00JTbr2
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
Elmer - that link goes to a 404 pagee
I've got a couple. They are a type item for me and I agree they are difficult to appreciate without excellent eyesight or a decent magnifying glass.
There was a thread on this subject about 6 weeks ago.
Type Only three I own.
I collected them by type for years, and had a number of pieces that went in and out of the set. I currently have a complete date and mint ("Red Book") set of the Type I's minus the rare 1849-C, Open Wreath. The Type II's is a very short set with only six coins in the collection, but in one way or another they are all tough because of the prices. I did complete that set. Type collectos chase the 1854 and 1855 Type II dollars, which pushes up prices, and the mintmarked pieces are scarce to rare.
The type III's are something I will never finish. I looked at the set, and there simply too many coins, like the 1861-D that cost too much money. I completed the set from the 1880s and will do an exhibit on those pieces this summer. The 1880 -9 "short set" is made of of coins that are common to very common in Mint State, even MS-65 in some cases, but grade-flation has made getting real Gems harder in MS-65.
Overall I like the gold dollars from the 1849 to the Civil War because they were among the most successful dollar coins the U.S. issued. People liked them during that period because you knew what they were worth as opposed to the state bank notes. Those pieces of paper could be worth anything from almost their face value to nothing depending on the financial health of the bank that issued. them.
Here is an 1880 gold dollar. The mintage is only 1,600 plus 36 Proofs, but the date is not as rare as it might seem because there are probably 1,000 Mint State survivors. Still, the low mintage gets some collectors going. A large number of these coins are P-L because of the low mintage.
And here is my only Proof. The gold dollars from the 1880s are the most common "old" Proof gold coins. They sell for lower prices than other "old gold Proofs" because of the mintages and the dislike that some collectors have for small coins. The mintage on this one is 207 pieces.
Great posts everyone! Thanks for the replies!
Thanks Roger! I'll look for it.
"The Other RogerB"
I have one-this 1854 Type One but I'm thinking of putting a date set of the Type Ones together-only six coins and nothing rare or even scarce.
i love the looks of that 1880 & 1883 dollars.
I only collect them as type. The coin pictured below is also my Avatar to the left. It was purchased raw off eBay for about $100 and now lives in a PCGS MS65 slab:
Like Bill's 1880 example, it's a bit prooflike in appearance, with some reflectivity in the fields and some contrast on the devices.
Here's another example from my collection, the type 2:
This one is in an AU-58 slab.
The only two hardest dates are 1850 (#1) and 1854. The easiest one is the 1853-P, which I think is the most common gold dollar of all.
I love them! I got this one recently:
My YouTube Channel
I collect gold dollars by date and mint. There are 81 coins with all mints and varieties, I have 78. Missing the 55-D, 56-D, and 61-D.
I think it is a challenging series with great history and some reasonable prices for most dates.
My avatar is a very prooflike 1869.
The Journal of Numismatic Research (JNR) – Autumn 2013, Issue #4 - includes this article with previously unknown information about later gold dollars uses and mintage. Available from Wizard Coin Supply.
“GOLD DOLLARS USED FOR JEWELRY”
Necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks, rings, pendants and a multitude of other items of personal adornment became the final resting places of thousands of tiny gold dollars. Coin collectors were the only refuge for these forgotten gold pieces.
You would think that the 1849 without "L" would be very difficult to find with a tiny reported mintage of 1000 but at any given moment there's usually at least one on ebay.
I used to have all of the seven S-mint coins: 54-S (Ty1), 56-S (Ty2), and 57/58/59/60/70-S (Ty3). I'm down to just the 56-S in my box of 20:
--Severian the Lame
Here's a nice 1887 proof.
I think gold dollars have some great history and some very rare coins and are relatively affordable for gold coins due to their size.
Try this one (also corrected in other post), maybe it was one I could only get to. I do have an 1850 in there too, like Bill Jones mentioned, you don't see that date all that often.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uq0xmhHnpW00JTbr2
10-4,
My Instagram picturesErik
My registry sets
That worked, thanks. A very nice collection.
A couple of tough dates from Dahlonega
P58 CAC Type III
P55 CAC Full-Date Tyoe II
Joseph J. Singleton - First Superintendent of the U.S. Branch Mint in Dahlonega Georgia
Findley Ridge Collection
About Findley Ridge
JJ.
Love those two Dahlonnegas!
Great backstories.
The experts say that the mintage for the 1849 no L is 10,000, not 1,000. The other aspect that makes the coin more common is a high survival rate. A large number of them were put aside as the first of their kind.
I collect by date & mint mark like these. I need a dozen or so yet, feel free to offer
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I don't have any gold dollars but I collect George Soley's 13mm medalettes which are about the same size. It's hard to appreciate how small these are without having them in hand.
Never heard of them. Could you post a couple of pics? They sound very interesting.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
BillJones- I thoroughly enjoy reading all of your posts. The coins you post are special. Thank you for taking the time to share
I like all gold coins, but these small one's just do not have the magic of their larger brothers. I like the heft of a double eagle...Though I do have one of the tiny Mexican peso gold coins. Cheers, RickO
I would rather say "thank you!" but, given the options, I gave you a "like."
My one and only $1 Gold resides in a PCGS first generation rattler holder and was purchased from The Reeded Edge.
Chance favors the prepared mind.
A couple of AU58's. The 1853 I bought raw from a friend at a show, on a lark (thanks, crazyhounddog!) and the 1854 was also unplanned. It put me over $1500 to avoid CA sales tax.
Both lame excuses. But I do like these little things.
Lance.
I have a nice PCGS AU set of New Orleans Gold.
Nice.
I've always enjoyed Cal's. This Liberty dollar is ex-Jay Roe. I'm sure many remember him. He was a fine Cal gold dealer and a gentleman. I dealt with him often once-upon-a-time.
The 1836 gold dollar is the most common gold pattern coin.
This 1853-D gold dollar has some nostalgia for me. When I was in the 5th grade, my mother’s cleaning lady showed her family heirlooms, four gold dollars. One of them was an 1853-D. It was the first southern gold coin I ever saw.
The cleaning lady sold me many old coins, but she only sold me one of the gold dollars, and that was not the one. I heard that one of the men in town offered her $50 for one of her gold dollars, and the 1853-D was probably the one he wanted. Back circa 1959 – 1961, that was not an unfair offer according to the “Red Book” numbers. Back in those days, “Red Book” quotes really met something.
I did a short set of the O mint coins and put in a 54o 3$ to fill the natural gap. Besides they use the same design
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
I have been working on a branch mint gold dollar collection, 34 coins which excludes the 49-c wide wreath. Just 5 coins to go. Still looking for 54-D, 56-D, 61-D, 59-S and 70-S.
Branch Mint gold link
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/mysetregistry/showcase/1475
Overland Trail Collection Showcase
Dahlonega Type Set-2008 PCGS Best Exhibited Set
this thread brought out some nice coins! great g$1's everyone.
@JJSingleton and @boiler78 , awesome coins!
Here is an 1854-D. This coin is nicer than it looks. There is a fair amount luster on the reverse despite the lack of detail in the hair. PCGS graded it EF-45, which is accurate.
C or D gets a like here.
a special one, way cool.
I have a few raw ones. I really like the small ones.
My only gold dollar, from my type set
Commems and Early Type
This 1850-C is well above average.
This might not look like much, but the 1850-D is the rarest Type I Dahlonega Mint gold dollar. It's graded EF-45. These coins were not well made.
Here is an Unc. that Doug Winter handled a while back.