3 Dollar Gold Coin
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.
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.
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 |
3 Dollar Gold Coin on eBay
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