1852 Liberty Head Gold $1 Coin

Collectors of pre-1934 gold coins may want to consider $1 gold coins from 1852 for something a little different than the usual. For the most part, gold dollar coins are easily acquired, but as any astute numismatist will tell you, when you start looking at the gold dollar coins, there are several scarce issues out there, which is the case with 1852 gold dollars. As was often the case with this series, Philadelphia produced the lion’s share, while the branch mints filled in the year’s overall output with perhaps a few thousand pieces more.

Here’s a glance at 1852 gold dollar mintages and values:

• 1852, 2,045,351 – $306

• 1852-C, 9,434 – $1,400

• 1852-D, 6,360 – $1,500

• 1852-O, 140,000 – $313

*Values are for coins in Very Fine 20 condition, unless otherwise noted.

James B. Longacre designed the Liberty Head gold dollar, which was the smallest coin the United States Mint has ever produced. In fact, they measure only 13 millimeters in diameter and weigh a mere 1.672 grams – far less than a modern-day U.S. dime. Many of these tiny Liberty Head gold dollars would fall through pocket holes and get lost, and if you lost a buck back in the 1850s, you lost the equivalent of a good day’s wage or more.