1851 G$1 AU58 Certification #05654828, PCGS #7513

1851 Type One-Closed Wreath. Mintage: 3,317,671. The California gold rush had a profound impact on our nation's coinage. The dramatic influx of gold from the mines in California changed the gold to silver ratio lowering the value of gold in relation to silver. Silver coins became all but extinct as they headed toward the melting pot. All that circulated were copper coinage and gold coinage starting at the quarter eagle denomination. The resultant 1849 coinage included two new denominations, the gold dollar and the double eagle. The silver trime followed in 1851 but did little to solve the coinage crisis as silver coins continued to be taken out of circulation to be melted. The situation was solved by the reduction of silver content in most silver denominations in 1853. The tiny dollars were made in the millions and circulated widely until the outbreak of the "War of Northern Aggression"

David Akers (1975/88)

One of the commonest of all gold dollars and readily available even in gem condition.