I have always liked gold dollars. That makes me different from most collectors because the vast majority of collectors think "Bigger is better." These coins are as small as you can get in the U.S. series. They are only 13.5 mm in diameter. Because of their size, counterfeits are a problem. For many collectors the coins so small that they can barely see them. Nevertheless I went ahead and put together a set of Type I gold dollars a few years ago. Here is the Dahlonega part of the set. 1849-D Since this was the first year for the gold dollar, a number of these were set aside as the first of their kind. This is really the only date that most people can hope to find in Mint State. This one is graded MS-62. Doug Winter has estimated the surviving population to be 600 to 700+ pieces. The estimated Mint State population is 40 to 60 pieces. The mintage was 21,588 1850-D This is one of the toughest date and mint mark combination in the Type I gold dollar set. It is hard to find in high grade and hard to find PERIOD. This one is graded EF-45, CACA. The mintage was 8,382 pieces, and most of them were not well made. Weak strikes are the rule. Doug Winter estimates that there are 125 to 175 survivors with 65 to 80 in EF. 1851-D This is the second most common date in the Type I gold dollar Dahlonega set. The mintage was 9,882. This piece has a few to many marks, and was not one of my stellar purchases. It is a bit over graded as an AU-55. I was impressed with this coin because of its original surfaces. Large number of these coins have been cleaned. Doug Winter estimates 300 to 400 survivors and 115-160 pieces in AU. 1852-D The 1852-D gold dollar falls in the middle with respect to rarity. The difficulty for some collectors was that the obverse die is often found damaged. You can see it on this piece in front of Ms. Liberty's eyes. This one is graded AU-55. The mintage was 6,360. Doug Winter estimates that there are 125 to 175 survivors. The AU population is estimated at 63 to 85 pieces. 1853-D The 1853-D gold dollar is one of the most common pieces in this set of coins. I have a special place in my collecting heart for this issue. The 1853-D was one of the first gold I saw when I was a YN. I was in the 5th grade and my mother's cleaning lady had one from a family hoard. I never had a chance to buy that piece, but it stuck in my memory. One of the men in the small town where I lived offered her $50 for it. That was a fair offer in 1960. The piece above is a very nice AU-58. The mintage was 6,583. Doug Winter estimates that there are 150 to 200+ survivors. The estimated AU population is 80 to 105. 1854-D The 1854-D gold dollar has long been touted as a great rarity because of its mintage, which is only 2,935 pieces. Walter Breen claimed that there were less than 20 known. Additional sightings have inflated that number, but the Doug Winter estimates is still only 100 to 125 pieces. This one is graded EF-45 with an estimated population of 33 to 40 known. Adding to the rarity is the fact that many of the surviving examples were unevenly struck. The above example has a fair amount of luster, especially on the reverse, but the strike is uneven and not strong on the obverse. This collection is obviously specialized and not for everyone. But it is fun find pieces with such low mintages. Compare those numbers with "rarities" like the 1909-S-VDB and 1916-D Mercury Dime. Even the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter looks "common" compared to these pieces. The mintage for the 1916 quarter was 52,000. If you add up the combined mintages for these six coins, it comes to 55,730. In 1855, the type changed to the Type II gold dollar which had a diameter of 15 mm.
Unfortunately things were not that great by this time. Georgia gold was high purity, but there was not enough of it to keep everyone employed. After gold was discovered in California, some Georgia miners went to California. Some went California and came back, bringing their gold back with them. Therefore an 1853 dated Dahlonega coin might well have California gold in it. Of course some years after this, the Civil War started, that was the end of the Dahlonega Mint.
Nice article John. I enjoyed the read and the info provided. The only dollar golds I have are two classic commem's (Lewis & Clark and Pan Pac) and I echo you on the small size of them. Thank goodness for magnifiers.
Excellent post, thanks for sharing! I’ve got a couple of nice G$1 but none with a D mint mark unfortunately.
Thanks John. That’s why you fit in. Your stuff ain’t in my 2nd bible red book. You type and explain quite well. We listen cuz we’d have to buy bookS to read and see what you have to offer. I like Kentucky and Doug too. @Damn @green18
That is an absolutely stunning collection. I'm not sure how many people appreciate Southern Gold like this, but this is far more impressive than a set of CC gold!
