New Orleans Type Set, The Forgotten Mint
G$1 Gold Type I

Owner Comments:

This is unequivocally the rarest New Orleans $1 gold piece in mint condition. There are likely less than 20 and may be less than 10 coins that truly make the mint state grade. This coin has had several incarnations with the most notable being that it is the Plate Coin (Photographic Example of the 1850-O gold dollar) in Winter's "Gold Coins of the New Orleans Mint" (I tracked the photo through several auction sites) and then each case, both NGC and PCGS, the grade was always MS-63. There are a number of coins that were previously graded in the high about uncirculated level and recently got bumped up to the MS 61-62 level. This coin has several areas that appear to be related to other coins rubbing against it within a bank bag. Nevertheless, the luster on the high points is fully intact with some bag marks but not distractingly so, such to justify the 63 grade. Also, of interest, the mint mark is much smaller than for the 1851-O. If you look at my New Orleans Mint gold dollar set you can compare the pictures. There is quite a difference between the mint marks on the coins from the 2 years. Enjoy.