Owner Comments:
The 1855-D gold dollar is the second rarest Dahlonega Mint gold dollar (just behind the 1861-D) and the hardest D-Mint date and mint mark combination to find in high grade. With a mintage of only 1,811 pieces, the coin was well on its way to becoming a rarity, and hard use over years reduced that number to an estimated surviving population of 75 to 100 pieces. Some experts claim that the surviving population is around 80 pieces. Most of the survivors grade VF or less, and many of them have severely cleaned.
There is further collector pressure on this issue because it was the only issue of Type II gold dollars from the Dahlonega Mint. This design, which was noted for weak strikes on both sides, even on the Philadelphia Mint pieces, was quickly modified after a very limited production run that ran from mid 1854 to 1856. The 1856 coinage was limited to the San Francisco Mint.
Despite the low mintage there are two known die varieties of this coin. After the first reverse die failed, the Dahlonega Mint personnel dusted off a second die for use. This one, which Doug Winter has labeled Variety 7-I, produced coins that were fully struck on the reverse with strong lettering and a sharp date. The coin pictured above is one of those coins. Specialists estimate that there are only 12 to 20 examples of this coin with the fully struck reverse. Those coins are closely held, and seldom come to market.
The coin above is a remarkable example of this rare coin. The strike on the reverse is sharper than virtually all of the 1854 and '55 Philadelphia Mint Type II gold dollars. The obverse is noticeably weaker, but overall the coin is remarkably smooth with no surfaces disturbances that are worth mentioning. The surfaces are totally original, and have never been cleaned. As such this is an outstanding example of this rare and numismatically significant coin.