Variety 5-I. Full Date and rare as such.

The 1855-D is a numismatically significant gold dollar. It is a distinct one year type as it is the only issue from Dahlonega which employs the short-lived Type Two design. Only 1,811 were issued and I regard this as the second rarest gold dollar from this mint (after the 1861-D) and the rarest in higher grades. I am aware of just four or five in Uncirculated plus another two dozen or so in the various AU grades. Most are seen with poor central detail, a lack of originality and poor overall eye appeal.

I have handled nearly every known 1855-D dollar known in AU50 and higher grades and this fresh-to-the-market example ranks as one of the choicest circulated pieces I am aware of. It is completely, 100% original with deep natural russet color and a good amount of dirt in the protected areas. Only a dozen or so 1855-D dollars exist with a full date and this example has remarkably bold details at the centers despite having been struck from noticeably clashed dies. The surfaces are immaculate and I think this coin clearly shows enough detail to receive consideration as an AU55 (ironically, if it were dipped and ruined by stripping the color, it would almost certainly be in a 55 if not a 58 holder…) and the eye appeal is truly exceptional for this issue.

This is not an easy coin to figure an accurate value for as the last PCGS AU53 1855-D dollar to sell at auction was the Bass II: 103 coin all the way back in October 2009. Heritage 7/14: 3878, graded EF45 by PCGS and in my opinion not even close to the present coin from a quality standpoint, realized a very aggressive $52,875.

This is a coin that should appeal to a wide variety of collectors. It is choice enough to fit into nearly any set of gold dollars or a specialist’s set of D mint dollars. It is perfect for the collector who specializes in rare one-year types or the connoisseur of truly great southern branch mint delicacies.

CAC has only approved six examples of this date, including four in AU grades. This is one of two in AU53 and it is exceeded at CAC by a sole 55 and two in MS64.