1922 G$1 Grant, Star (Regular Strike)

The Grant Memorial Gold Dollar (#7458, #7459), struck by the United States Mint in 1922, was part of a two four-coin commemorative series honoring Ulysses S. Grant, the nation’s 18th president.

Congress authorized the series at the urging of the Ulysses S. Grant Centenary Memorial Association. The Association intended to use the profits from the coin sales to finance the construction of community memorial buildings in Georgetown and Bethel, Ohio, and to fund a five-mile highway connecting New Richmond to Point Pleasant.

The Association managed the coin distribution, buying the pieces from the Mint at face value and then selling them directly and through Ohio banks. To maximize sales, they mimicked the successful strategy of the 1921 Alabama (#9224, #9225) and Missouri (#9330, #9331) programs by creating two versions of the gold dollar: a plain one and one featuring a small, added incuse star.

The two dollar versions had roughly the same mintage, with 16 more of the With Star version struck for assay. Sales began in April 1922. Despite the dual-variety sales tactic—which frustrated contemporary collectors—both versions of the gold dollar sold out, often to wholesalers.

Grant Half Dollars, with Star Were A Pleasant Surprise

To the Association’s surprise, 5,000 of the 1922 Grant Memorial Half Dollars (#9307) likewise had a star in the field—a feature it had not requested but one that would enhance its sales. Even though no additional premium was charged for the half dollars with a star, collectors were quite vocal in their opposition to being offered four varieties of essentially the same commemorative design.

On the coins with the star, the incuse star was positioned in the right obverse field between AMERICA and GRANT. In addition to the 10,000 gold dollars coined at the Philadelphia Mint in March of 1922, 16 pieces were reserved for assay and later destroyed. A single Proof example of the gold dollar with star has long been rumored to exist, and several trial strikings in white metal and brass are known. In addition to the gold and silver coins, the Association also sold a separate bronze medal for 25¢.

Ulysses S. Grant: From Obscurity to Commander

Ulysses Simpson Grant’s early life showed little sign of the greatness to come. Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, in 1822, he graduated from West Point and served without distinction in the Mexican-American War (1846–48). He resigned from the Army in 1854 and failed at several married business ventures. Everything changed with the Civil War. After the attack on Fort Sumter in 1861, Grant rejoined the service, quickly proving his worth with victories along the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. President Lincoln, weary of timid generals, recognized Grant’s relentless ferocity and tenacity.

Given command in 1864, Grant’s aggressive strategy forced Robert E. Lee’s surrender in April 1865, ending the Confederacy. Following the war, the Republican Party nominated the popular war hero for president in 1868, capitalizing on the political turmoil caused by Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson. Though Grant won the presidency, his political inexperience led to an administration plagued by scandal. After two terms, Grant retired in order to write his memoirs, both to provide financial security for his family and to secure the meaning of the Civil War.

Grant remains an important historical figure—one whom historians are constantly reevaluating. He died of throat cancer in 1885, cementing his place in American legend.

The Grant Memorial Gold Dollar and Collecting the U.S. Gold Commemorative Coin Series

Thirteen coins make up the classic U.S. Gold Commemorative Series. The Octagonal (#7452) and Round 1915-S Panama-Pacific $50 Slugs (#7451) are "stoppers" for most collectors, which leaves nine gold dollars and two quarter eagles as the more accessible "every man" classic gold commemorative set.

In both the gold dollar and quarter eagle segments of the series, the 1922 Grant (#7458) and 1922 Grant, with Star (#7459) served as the series' penultimate release. The final issue, the 1926 Sesquicentennial Quarter Eagle (#7466), was issued three years before the Mint ceased production of the $2.50 and $5 gold coin denominations.

Of all the gold types, the Grant ranks along with the Pan-Pac $50 pieces as the consensus pick for the most attractive design in the series. The Grant features a striking portrait on the coin's obverse, and the future President and War Hero's childhood home serves as a perfect reverse for sculptress Laura Gardin Fraser's design.

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