Bill Jones' Tiny Gold Princesses
1849-C Closed Wreath

Owner Comments:

The 1849-C Close Wreath gold dollar (that's the nomenclature some prefer instead of "closed wreath") is overshadowed by its far rarer sister, the 1849-C Open Wreath dollar. There are four known examples of that coin, perhaps a fifth, if the coin cited by Doug Winter that was owned by a Connecticut dealer in the 1960s or '70s turns out to be an additional example. Nevertheless the 1849-C Close Wreath gold dollar is a scarce coin in its own right. Doug Winter estimates that there are 200 to 300 examples in the collectable grades.

Like the 1849-D gold dollar, this coin was stuck with convex fields which had a negative effect upon the quality of the strike when the coin was made and the amount of wear that the devices received while it was in circulation. The net result is that some pieces look to be more worn than they actually are. Dave Bowers also cites in his gold dollar book that at some point the obverse die was polished to reduce the convex contour of the surfaces which reduced the sharpness of the finished coins. Doug Winter cites examples he has seen "that looked as if they were considerably worn but that were, in fact, peculiarly struck."

I believe that the coin displayed above falls into that category. The obverse does appear to be quite worn with a lack of hair detail, but the reverse is close to Mint State with considerable luster. The surfaces are quite smooth to the naked eye although a 10X glass reveals a number of very tiny circulation on the obverse. Given the overall appearance of this piece, the EF-45 grade is totally justified.