The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-06-20
SCARCITY OF GOLD COINS |
Quickly Disappeared on
Introduction of Bangles.
PREMIUMS NOW PAID
There Are Seventy-Five Varieties
Of the Gold Dollar - More
Than Twenty Thousand We're
Coined--Many Rendered Useless
by Women.

by women.
The small gold dollar Is one of the
most remarkable OF American coins.
Every issue now bears 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 1899, and
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-hve varieties OF
the gold dollar. or these the Phila-
delphia Mint struck forty, New Or
leans six, San Francisco seven,
Charlotte IN. c. nine and Dahlonga
(Ga) thirteen.
The gold dollar struck at Dah-
Tonga in 1861 is probably the rarest.
Only two specimens are known up to
! date and each Is worth more than
800. The 1860 ID" dollar is worh
/ $3S, and one OF the same mint dated
! 1855 recently sold for S52.
The dollar ranking next in point
! of 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 We're coined
and single specimen IS now easily
worth 800.
The Philadelphia Mint'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 mints.
| This dollar has record price OF
! $105, and yet 8 900 were coined.
The Carson City Mint struck no
! gold dollars and none OF those issued
| by the New Orleans institution is
scarce.
| 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, 1t was a
| common thing for young woman to
| possess a bracelet with from ten 20
| 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
ahr hr,1fr bn hn OLE
A girls popularity was often
measured by the number of bangles
she wore on her bracelet, and 1t 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 GER
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
$50 apiece.
The gold dollar was first issued by
this Government in 1S49, but sew
eral varieties of gold dollars had
previously been coined in the '30s 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 a laurel wreath
surrounding 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 s22.
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 its size was
Increased by adding alloys, but the
intrinsic value of the gold remained
the same. The new style also showed
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 were issued In 1855 by the
Philadelphia, New Orleans and Dab
Tonga mints, and in San Francisco
in 1855, The larger head is borne
by all the other large sized gold dol
lars up to 1889.
Australia Is emulating the United
States In wholesale and wanton de-