The 1855-S is numismatically significant as the first Three Dollar gold piece produced at the San Francisco mint. Only 6,600 were made and a few hundred are known with most in the VF-EF range. properly graded AU53 to AU55 examples are quite scarce and this date is exceedingly rare in Uncirculated with only two or three accounted for.

This is one of the few truly original 1855-S threes that I have seen with attractive rich russet hues visible on the obverse and the reverse. The strike is sharp with all detail up and bold including uncommonly well impressed hair strands. There are a few light old lines near the first A in AMERICA and a small shallow scratch on the reverse border at around 3:00.

The last PCGS AU53 example of the 1855-S $3.00 to sell at auction was Heritage 5/12: 4926 which realized $6,325. That coin was not approved by CAC and, in my opinion, it wasn’t as nice as the piece I am offering here.

Compared to the 1854-O, another first-year-of-issue three dollar gold piece, the 1855-S is extremely undervalued and much harder to locate in higher grades.

ON HOLD