Bill Jones' Type III Gold Dollars
1858-D

Owner Comments:

Although the 1857-D and 1858-D gold dollars have similar mintages (3,533 and 3,477 respectively), the 1858-D gold dollar is the more common of the two issues, perhaps by a two to one margin. Like many Dahlonega mint issues, the 1858-D gold dollar is noted for strike weaknesses. Often the center of the reverse, which includes the date and “Dollar” are weak along with the corresponding are of the portrait on the obverse. This was due to an improper gap setting between the dies when they came together to strike the coin. David Bowers also cited weakness in the “R” in “AMERICA” and “U” in “UNITED” on some specimens.

The coin shown above exhibits an exceptional strike for this issue. Were it not for the slightly off-center strike to the northeast, one might mistake this piece for a Philadelphia mint coin given the definition of the devices. The coin does have some surface marks which account for the MS-61 grade. It also has “bright” surfaces which is a tell-tale sign that it has been dipped, but overall this is an outstanding example of a Dahlonega mint gold dollar.