Last coins San Francisco made for circulation

Over the years I've found many things in circulation not meant to circulate; several proofs, an S-minted business strike quarter (2015 Louisiana), and even 2 innovation dollars (2024 Alabama) as change from a vending machine. It can happen. Keep your eyes open!

But not the purpose of this list.

But here, S-minted business strikes not intended to circulate:
40% silver Eisenhower dollars, 1971-1976
40% silver Kennedy half dollars & 40% silver Washington quarters, 1975-1976
America the Beautiful quarters, 2012-2021 (each individual issue less than each of the W quarters!)
American Woman quarters, 2022-2025 (really low mintages on these, btw!)

 

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The 1870-S Three Dollar Gold was not made for circulation. It was supposed to be in the cornerstone of the San Francisco Mint building, but one probably never got there.

The Red Book listing as an “AU” is off. It’s an ex-jewelry, details coin which was taken off a fob with “1870” scratched on the reverse. Since it’s unique, those details don’t matter much.

 

Indeed, in which case the last $3 gold piece, made for circulation in San Francisco, would be the 1860-S. Still somewhat scarce, with a mintage of about 7000, but within the realm of reason to acquire without being a millionaire. You can afford it if you're merely a thousandaire lol. (Last I checked I found an XF-45 of it for about $1200 so gives you an idea of the ballpark of this thing).

The only one confirmed to exist (there's unconfirmed rumors that there's another one, still in the cornerstone, but I don't know how they'd confirm that without damaging the building lol) 1870-S was graded by PCGS as SP-50 (so essentially AU-50 but it has some kind of special process in minting it). It has a "3" scratched on the front and has some slight damage that suggests it was probably a jewelry piece at some point (the 50 is essentially a net grade, but the label doesn't state that it is and doesn't have "details" on it). The label is gold foil and mentions it as part of the Bass collection (before that, it was owned by Eliasberg). The spacing between the date and "DOLLARS" is slightly different than on standard issues.

https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1870-s-3/7992

PCGS estimates the value at AU/SP 50 at $5.6 million, but whoever has it I'm sure can name their price if they're ever in the mood to sell it. Last time it changed hands was at an auction in January 2023 for $5,520,000.

But yeah, 1870-S was definitely not intended to circulate, so 1860-S instead.

 

Something to remember next time someone asks if a details coin is worth anything. That $6 million dollar 1870 S 3 dollars gold has graffiti on it and has had a loop removed from the edge.

4 known, Was three with one of them stolen in the 1967 DuPont robbery which has never been recovered, and then the fourth one turned up in 2021. Comparison of the new coin with photos of the DuPont coin showed that it wasn't the same coin.

The graffiti isn't a 3 scratched on the front, it's an 868 scratched at the top of the reverse above the ends of the wreath.

Records do seem to indicate that a full set of coins was struck for inclusion in the cornerstone. I would suspect that for those coins which weren't struck for circulation (half dime, quarter, silver dollar and 3 dollar) at least a few were struck of each so they would have a choice from which to select the best one for the cornerstone. I think the cornerstone pieces are still in the Mint someplace. and the unique half dime and three dollar and the 9 silver dollars known today are from the overrun made to select from. The quarter dollar still hasn't shown up.

 

Actually it's "893" which the article on the first page here says is a mystery. One theory is that it refers to the fineness, but why? I'm wondering if someone simply forgot a 1 and it was supposed to be 1893. Or 893 means August 1893? Chief Coiner Harmstead died July 22, 1889 so it wasn't that. Since it was in the family until 1907 I can't help thinking it had some family significance. I have trouble thinking Harmstead did it since it's so crude, although Heritage says that he did, without providing any evidence. The recent sale and their extensive blurb is here https://coins.ha.com/itm/three-doll...5-9013.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515.

 

This thread is sticking with me. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’d do it but I have way to much going on and I’m close to finding a few expensive coins that I need to complete some collections of mine.

 

Been thinking about it too. There are so many ways you could do a first/last collection. I've been collecting the Barber dime hub type varieties/anomalies for example. A while back I decided to add the first and last "official" releases from Philadelphia. So, 1892 - first obv/rev type 1, 1899 - last rev1, 1900 - last obv1 first rev2, 1901 - first obv2 first rev3 + last rev2, 1916 last obv2/rev3. I could add S O and D mints into the mix.

Or within a series ignore the types and just do the mints. For Barber dimes, 1892 (P), S and O first coins, 1906-D first, 1909-O last, 1914-D last, 1916 and 1916-S last.

I wonder what the overall lists are for New Orleans, but I'm too lazy. For $5 Liberty Head it looks like they only coined them 1842-1847 and then again later 1892-1894? CC probably has an interesting list too.

 

OK a challenge, time to peruse the Red Book again:

First and last for New Orleans (O) Mint:
Half dime: First, 1838 Seated liberty (various varieties); last, 1860 Seated liberty.
Dime: First, 1838 Seated liberty; last, 1909 Barber.
Quarter: First, 1840 Seated liberty; last, 1909 Barber.
Half dollar: First, 1839 Capped bust; last, 1909 Barber.
Dollar: First, 1846 Seated liberty; last, 1904 Morgan.
(If you want to count gold dollars as a separate thing, first 1850 Liberty head; last, 1855 Liberty head.)
Quarter eagle: First, 1839 Classic head; last 1857 Liberty head.
Half eagle: First, 1840 Liberty head; last, 1894 Liberty head.
Eagle: First, 1841 Liberty head; last, 1906 Liberty head.
Double eagle: First, 1850 Liberty head; last, 1861 Liberty head.

Good luck with the 1861-O double eagle, only 17,000 minted and many of them melted down! That one will set you back a bit...

Maybe I'll do this for Carson City later; this kind of research is fun!

 

I figured we could count on you!

 

If we thought about it we could probably come up with some real nice ideas for a collection or a partial collection.

 

Carson City wasn't in operation long...
First and last for the Carson City (CC) Mint:
Dime: First: 1871 Seated liberty; last: 1878 Seated liberty
20 cent piece: First: 1875 Seated liberty; last: 1876 Seated liberty (these weren't around long!)
Quarter: First: 1871 Seated liberty; last: 1878 Seated liberty
Half dollar: First: 1870 Seated liberty; last: 1878 Seated liberty
Dollar: First: 1870 Seated liberty; last: 1893 Morgan
Half eagle: First: 1870 Liberty head; last 1893 Liberty head
Eagle: First: 1870 Liberty head; last: 1893 Liberty head
Double eagle: First: 1870 Liberty head; last: 1893 Liberty head

 

Addendum to New Orleans:
3 cent (silver) pieces: Both first and last (only year they minted them): 1851 (also the only year any mint other than Philadelphia minted any 3 cent pieces.)
3 dollar gold: Both first and last (only year they minted them): 1854

And correction on half eagles: Last was 1909 Indian head. 1909-O is quite a rare issue for this series, good luck!

 

Wow, in their last year of operation and after 15 years they decided to coin $5 gold one more time. I wonder if there's a story behind that. New Orleans mint stuff seems kinda wacky at times.

 

Is kind of oddity. They shut down during the Civil War, like Charlotte and Dahlonega, but they were the only one that reopened.

 

Charlotte and Dahlonega were only intended for striking gold and were built where they were in order to be supplied by the local gold mines. But the mines were petering out and they weren't in good shape after the war ended. New Orleans on the other hand was a major port city and had a lot of gold and silver imported through there. The mint was also in good shape.

 

Find the US Mint director's reports from the period and you will see charts of gold production and deposits...

(I happen to have these on my hard drive from a post @ PCGS' board)



The reason that New Orleans coined gold coins in the late 1850s is because people deposited gold.

From 1910's report



And


https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/51