3 Dollar Gold Coin

The origins of this numismatic oddity are similar to that of the trime, or Three Cent coin. Authorities believed that people would want a denomination that would enable them to buy postage stamps easily. The trime was formulated for the purchase of single three-cent postage stamps, while the 3 Dollar Gold coin was created so that people could more conveniently buy batches of a hundred such stamps.

1854 Three Dollar Gold Coin

Like many other coins, an engraver named James Longacre designed the 3 Dollar Gold Coin. On the obverse side of the coin, Longacre placed a left-facing profile of a Liberty wearing a feathered headdress. The word “liberty” is written on the band holding the feathers together. This portrait is surrounded by the phrase “United States of America.” On the reverse side of the 3 dollar gold coin, one may find a wreath surrounding the phrase “3 Dollars [minting year].” The 3 Dollar Gold coin was made of gold and copper.

3 Dollar Gold Coin

It is very difficult to pinpoint one or even a handful of key dates for this particular coin. It is so scarce that all the dates are key dates, which is another way of saying that there are no key dates. Even so, coins from particular years seem to be a better investment than others, if you measure this criteria by how often and how far the coin’s value has jumped, and probably will continue to do so in the future.

3 Dollar Gold Coin Fair Market Values in U.S. Dollars (1854-1889)

Date/Type	G4	VG8	F12	VF20	XF40	AU50	AU53	AU55	AU58	MS60	PR60 (Proof)
1854	$360	$420	$510	$860	$1,130	$1,500	$1,590	$1,720	$1,920	$2,630	$36,630
*1854 D	$2,850	$4,060	$8,310	$11,690	$24,380	$37,500	$40,630	$49,690	$55,310	$74,380	--
1854 O	$570	$720	$1,170	$1,980	$3,190	$6,560	$7,000	$9,810	$15,310	$42,250	--
1855	$400	$505	$660	$920	$1,180	$1,690	$1,810	$2,030	$2,440	$3,630	--
1855 S	$530	$720	$950	$1,310	$3,090	$6,190	$9,560	$11,560	$19,380	$29,380	--
1856	$390	$480	$600	$860	$1,330	$1,720	$1,780	$1,940	$2,560	$3,470	$10,810
1856 S	$570	$660	$720	$1,030	$1,690	$2,880	$3,560	$4,690	$7,030	$11,440	--
1857	$380	$470	$520	$890	$1,180	$1,690	$1,840	$2,310	$3,030	$3,810	$10,000
1857 S	$600	$720	$930	$1,310	$3,030	$5,940	$6,560	$10,190	$14,760	$19,830	--
1858	$515	$630	$720	$1,160	$2,280	$3,690	$4,090	$5,280	$7,280	$11,690	$11,940
1859	$450	$540	$630	$940	$1,250	$1,840	$1,940	$2,030	$2,780	$4,060	$7,940
1860	$420	$510	$600	$990	$1,470	$2,090	$2,250	$2,690	$3,280	$4,310	$8,690
1860 S	$510	$660	$930	$1,500	$3,440	$7,840	$8,690	$10,810	$15,600	$28,750	--
1861	$440	$530	$690	$1,140	$1,470	$2,440	$2,780	$4,190	$5,160	$5,690	$7,190
1862	$430	$520	$640	$930	$1,780	$2,530	$3,310	$5,310	$5,440	$5,690	$7,060
1863	$510	$600	$690	$960	$1,380	$2,340	$3,090	$3,560	$4,340	$5,000	$8,440
1864	$530	$610	$720	$1,020	$1,590	$2,690	$3,470	$4,060	$4,720	$5,780	$8,280
1865	$580	$810	$1,080	$1,500	$2,840	$7,190	$7,560	$8,130	$11,190	$13,560	--
1866	$505	$600	$670	$860	$1,380	$1,970	$2,660	$3,060	$3,470	$5,060	--
1867	$510	$610	$700	$930	$1,320	$2,590	$2,840	$3,090	$5,000	$5,590	$8,130
1868	$420	$540	$600	$900	$1,350	$1,910	$2,250	$2,720	$3,590	$4,910	$7,690
1869	$490	$580	$670	$930	$1,350	$1,940	$2,220	$2,500	$3,940	$5,190	$7,840
1870	$600	$650	$700	$910	$1,530	$2,410	$2,660	$2,910	$3,690	$5,000	$7,690
1871	$480	$620	$750	$900	$1,530	$2,060	$2,340	$3,160	$3,940	$5,000	$7,500
1872	$460	$600	$720	$930	$1,280	$2,090	$2,340	$2,810	$3,690	$4,910	--
1873 Closed 3	--	$2,820	$3,360	$4,560	$6,880	$9,690	$12,060	$15,940	$25,310	$31,250	--
1874	$325	$420	$490	$860	$1,180	$1,470	$1,590	$1,720	$2,000	$2,410	$8,060
1876 Pr Only	--	--	--	--	$11,880	$17,810	$19,380	$22,810	$23,750	$26,880	--
1877	$540	$780	$1,050	$1,710	$3,590	$10,910	$13,130	$15,940	$19,690	$23,130	$7,940
1878	$330	$420	$490	$860	$1,130	$1,500	$1,590	$1,750	$1,970	$2,410	$7,720
1879	$360	$460	$530	$880	$1,180	$1,590	$1,660	$2,160	$3,030	$3,150	$5,560
1880	$420	$530	$660	$950	$1,680	$2,940	$3,090	$3,250	$3,690	$4,310	$5,560
1881	$480	$710	$1,050	$1,380	$2,940	$5,630	$6,060	$7,440	$9,660	$10,310	$5,940
1882	$450	$540	$630	$960	$1,320	$2,310	$2,720	$3,250	$3,810	$4,280	$5,810
1883	$470	$570	$720	$1,080	$1,650	$2,720	$2,910	$3,250	$4,940	$5,470	$5,560
1884	$490	$690	$810	$1,200	$1,680	$2,690	$3,220	$3,560	$3,810	$4,160	$5,500
1885	$530	$750	$990	$1,260	$1,890	$2,810	$3,060	$3,440	$4,560	$5,030	$5,470
1886	$510	$630	$720	$1,140	$1,950	$2,840	$3,030	$3,410	$4,280	$5,220	$5,470
1887	$360	$505	$580	$900	$1,260	$1,780	$1,840	$2,750	$3,190	$3,560	$5,470
1888	$355	$490	$570	$900	$1,230	$1,940	$2,000	$2,410	$3,090	$3,690	$5,470
1889	$350	$480	$530	$880	$1,260	$1,780	$1,940	$2,310	$3,000	$3,720	$5,470