What Are Type 2 Gold Dollars?
Type 2 Gold Dollars were minted only from 1854 to 1856 – a short-lived design that lasted only 3 years and is very popular with collectors today. Why was the design abandoned?
The Type Two pieces, troublesome and unsatisfying from the start, almost never struck up well. Even Uncirculated examples show blurry detail on Liberty’s hair, the LL in DOLLAR, and the 85 in the date — if not the entire date. The high points of the obverse, directly opposed to the date and denomination on the reverse, ensured that both the design and the singular information quickly wore to illegibility in circulation. After only three years the Mint changed the design again, this time with an obverse and reverse that strived to avoid putting higher relief areas in direct opposition.
Read more from the auction description for 1855 Type 2 Gold Proof Dollar.
How Rare are 1855 Type 2 Gold Proof Dollars?
During this brief period of minting, a tiny proportion of brightly mirrored, high-quality Proof Coins were struck for collectors. These special pieces do not have formally listed mintages, but only 7 examples have been confirmed in any condition for the 1855 Type 2 gold dollar!
Heritage will be offering an especially beautiful example, graded Proof 66 Star Ultra Cameo by NGC. View the 1855 Type 2 Gold Proof Dollar.
The “star” designation at NGC is provided to coins which have exceptional eye appeal. The Ultra Cameo designation recognizes the extreme cameo contrast between the mirrored fields and frosty raised design elements.
One of only 7 confirmed pieces, this coin also has provenance dating back to 1864 in several famous collections, including Lorin Parmelee, William Woodin, and John Jay Pittman. We have not sold a similar coin since 2008, when a similarly graded PCGS example brought $373,750!
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