1877 $3.00 NGC AU58PL

The 1877 is among the rarest business strikes Three Dollar gold pieces struck at the Philadelphia mint. There were just 1,400 made and there are well under 100 known in all grades. This fully prooflike piece is clearly a business strike as it has some frost in the surfaces and the rims lack the squared configuration seen on Proofs. It is very lightly worn in the fields and on the high spots with pleasing peripheral color on the obverse. A few small ticks are visible in the fields but this piece is uncommonly clean and wholesome for an issue that is seldom seen with good eye appeal. In addition to the regular population figures listed below, NGC has graded two examples in AU58 with a PL designation and five finer than this. The last NGC AU58PL to sell at auction was Heritage 2008 ANA: 1921 which brought $20,700. In my opinion, the present example is nicer and the market seems more appreciative of truly rare coins like 1877 Threes in early 2012 than it did in the Summer of 2008. This is one of two approved by CAC in this grade with none better. An important piece for the specialist.

1880 $3.00 PCGS MS64 CAC

Only 1,000 business strikes were produced. The 1880 is an issue that has been popular ever since it was struck. Quantities were saved by contemporary collectors, dealers and hoarders who knew of its small mintage and speculated on it become a rarity someday. It did, a century later, and today's collectors like this date not only for its low mintage but its appearance. This lovely borderline Gem has superb rose, green-gold and orange colors atop vibrant, frosty surfaces. A few small abrasions on the obverse narrowly remove this coin from a higher grade but it has superb overall eye appeal. It is my belief that the PCGS and NGC populations for this date are way inflated, especially in MS64 and MS65 grades. A fantastic coin for a type collector and the exact sort of a coin that, if this series begins to regain its past popularity, has great upside.

1859 $3.00 PCGS MS63 CAC

Let's say that you want a nice PCGS MS63 Three Dollar gold piece for your type set. You can buy a common date like an 1874 or an 1878 in this grade for around $5,000-5,500. Or you can spend an additional few thousand dollars and buy a coin that is genuinely scarce in this grade. To me, that's what makes this choice 1859 three dollar such an appealing coin. It is totally original and very high end for the grade with rich luster that is dusted with pale green-gold and rose shades. There are a few ticks in the left field and at the central reverse but the naked-eye appearance rivals coins of this date that I have seen in MS64. The 1859 is scarce in MS63, rare in MS64 and virtually unavailable in Gem. The last PCGS MS63 to sell at auction was Heritage 12/11: 4505 that brought $7,763.

1855-S $3.00 PCGS EF40 CAC

There were just 6,600 examples struck and this is a numismatically significant issue as the first San Francisco issue of this denomination. The 1855-S is the rarest of the four available San Francisco Three Dollar gold pieces and it is seldom seen in affordable collector grades, especially with natural color and surfaces. This choice, fresh example shows lovely deep natural amber-russet color atop smooth, evenly worn surfaces. There are a few small marks in front of the O in OF but the overall eye appeal of this coin is far above average for the date and grade. This is one of just two examples of this date in EF40 to have ever received approval from CAC (six finer have been recorded as well). The other example, ex Heritage 4/10: 3557, sold for $2,645. I bought that coin out of the aforementioned sale and I think the present example is nicer. This is a great historic branch mint piece for the new collector.

1871 $3.00 NGC AU58

This is one of my favorite "sleeper" dates in a series that, as of the end of 2011, offers as much value on a per coin basis as any group of gold coins in all of American numismatics. This bright, highly lustrous slider has the naked-eye look of an MS61 to MS62 piece but there is just the slightest touch of rub on the high spots. The surfaces are very clean and the eye appeal is very high for the date and grade. Only 1,300 business strikes were made and, unlike the low mintage Threes of the 1880's, this date was not hoarded by contemporary collectors and dealers. At around double the price of a common date issue like an 1854, 1874 or 1878, this is a remarkable value for the savvy collector.

1857-S $3.00 NGC AU55

Only 14,000 examples of this date were struck and the 1857-S is one of just four collectable Three Dollar gold pieces from the San Francisco mint. As a date, the 1857-S is generally a scarce issue and it is seen most often in the EF40 to AU50 grade range. It is rare in properly graded AU55, very rare in AU58 and extremely rare in Uncirculated. This pleasing example is totally fresh to the market and it comes from the same source as the lovely AU58 1857-C gold dollar that I purchased at the Baltimore show, It is one of the few 1857-S Threes I have seen that has natural color. The obverse and reverse both show attractive medium russet-gold with mottled underlying reddish hues. The strike is far above average for the date and the surfaces are very clean with none of the marks usually seen on this date. The most recent NGC AU55 example of an 1857-S Three Dollar to sell at auction was Heritage 1/11: 6813 which brought $6,613. The example offered here is far superior due to its color and eye appeal. An important coin and an issue that I personally believed is very undervalued in higher grades.

1883 $3.00 PCGS AU55 CAC

Only 900 business strikes were made. The 1883 Three Dollar has the lowest mintage figure of nearly any affordable 19th century U.S. gold coin. After all, how many regular issues have a mintage of just 900 coins yet can be purchased in high-end AU grades for less than $5,000? This is a very high end example with semi-prooflike surfaces that show lovely coppery-orange color on the obverse and reverse. There is just a smidgen of wear seen on both sides and the fields are clean and attractive. One of the really fun sets to assemble is a date run of Three Dollar gold pieces from 1879 to 1889. This ten year group includes a number of low mintage coins (three have fewer than 1,000 business strikes) yet nothing is very expensive or impossibly hard to find. The last PCGS 55 example of an 1883 to sell at auction was B+M 2/08: 2514 which brought $3,795.

1857-S $3.00 PCGS EF45

The low mintage Philadelphia issues tend to get the attention in the Three Dollar series. But the branch mint issues from San Francisco range from slightly scarce (1856-S) to unique (1870-S) and the 1857-S is one of my favorite of the five Three Dollars issues made at this mint. Only 14,000 were struck and this date is scarce in all grades. I bought this coin due to its exceptional eye appeal for the grade. It is sharply impressed (except for some lightness on the date) and it shows very pleasing rich natural honey-gold color. This is unusual for the issue as nearly every 1857-S has been cleaned at one time. In fact, I regard the 1857-S as one of the rarest Three Dollar gold pieces with original color and surfaces and it is almost never seen in Choice EF with good eye appeal.

1864 $3.00 NGC MS62 CAC

One of just 2,630 struck and the second rarest Civil War Three Dollar gold piece after the 1865. This is a beautiful, crisp example with lovely yellow-gold and rose color atop highly lustrous surfaces. As on all known business strikes of this date there are some vertical striations as made but the luster and "flash" of the surfaces make these very unobtrusive. A few tiny marks at the lower obverse are really all that keep this from a much higher grade and it is a coin of uncommon appeal for the date. The last MS62 to appear at auction was back in March 2009 and only five pieces in this grade have sold at auction since 2004. Only one other 1864 Three Dollar in MS62 has received CAC approval. Great value at current levels as are so many dates in this series.