Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-12-24
SCARCITY Of GOLD COINS.
Quickly Disappeared on
Introduction of Bangles.
PREMIUMS NOW PAID
There Are seventy-Fise Varieties
of the Gold Dollar - More
Than Twenty Thousand Were
Coinsd-Many Rendered Useless
by Women.

The small gold dollar is one OF the
most remarkable of American coins.
Every issue now bears a premium
and in some cases this amounts TO
more than 500, says the New York
Sun. Yet these coins we're issued for
forty years, from 1S49 to 1883, ana
a grand total of nearly twenty and a
half million pieces were turned out
during that period by the Govern
ment's coinage presses.
There are seventy-five varieties OF
the gold dollar. OF these the Phila-
delphia Mint struck forty, New Or
leans six, San Francisco seven,
Charlotte IN. CO. nine and Dahlonga
(Ga.) thirteen.
The gold dollar struck at Dab
Tonga in 1861 is probably the rarest.
Only two specimens are known up TO
date and each is worth more than
500. The 1860 I'd" dollar is worn
s3S, and one of the same mint dated
1855 recently sold for $50.
The dollar ranking next in point
o. rarity is the one dated 1854,
which was coined at the Charlotte
Mint. This bears the Liberty head
on the diverse and the mint letter
&C" The United States Mint rec
ords state that only four were coined
and a single specimen is now easily
worth 500.
The Philadelphia Aint's rarest
gold dollar is dated 1875. In this
year just 420 gold dollars were
struck. Each one of these is worth
from $50 upward.
For some reason the gold dollar
struck at the San Francisco Mint In
1870 ranks in rarity with the
scarcest issues of the other minis.
This dollar has a record price of
sos, and yet 5000 were coined.
The Carson City Mint struck no
gold dollars and none of those issued
by the New Orleans institution is
scarce.
A few years ago these little coins
were plentiful Their present scarcity
has come about chiefly through their
use as bangles on bracelets.
When the fad was at its height,
about twenty years ago, It was a
common thing for young woman to
POSSESS a bracelet with from ten 10
twenty-five gold dollars dangling
therefrom. Each of these had the
design erased from one side, and
upon the smooth surface were en-
graved the initials of the particular
admirer who presented the bangle.
A girls popularity was often
measured by the number of bangles
she wore on her bracelet, and it may
be imagined how many gold dollars
were used for this sort of ornament.
Most OF the coins subjected to this
treatment were rendered utterly
worthless to the coin collector, and
the widespread mutilation had the
result of giving great rarity to cer-
tain dates.
While the bangle fad has gone in
this country it is still regarded with
favor in Mexico, where the senoritas,
year in and year out, use bangles of
gold as a standard ornament. and
this steady demand causes the in
creasing price of gold dollars, the
commonest of which are now worth
$3.50 apiece.
The gold dollar was first issued by
this Government I'm 1S49, but sew
eral varieties of gold dollars had
previously been coined i'm the sos by
a private mint at Rutherford, n. C.
They bore no date, but 1t is certain
that they were struck about 1894
In 1S49 the first dollar in gold
was issued by the Mint in the form
of pattern coin This specimen on
the diverse showed laurel wreath
surrounding a square hole. The re-
verse bore the inscription Il Dol
lar" surrounded by thirteen stars.
The edge of the pattern coin was
plain. A specimen is now worth $22.
The design was not accepted, and
the one now familiar then came into
circulation.
This coin was too small for prac-
teal use; and in 1854 it's size was
increased by adding alloys. but the
intrinsic value of the gold remained
the same. The new style also showed
a change in design on the diverse
this being an Indian girls head with
a plumed coronet
There are two sizes for the Indian
head. The coins bearing the small
head we're issued in 1855 by the
Philadelphia, New Orleans ard Dab
Tonga minis, and in San Francisco
in 1856. The larger head is borne
by all the other large sized gold dol
lars up to 1889.