1849 Liberty Gold Dollar

About This Coin

The 1849 Liberty Gold Dollar is a United States dollar from the Liberty Head Gold Dollars 1849-1854 series — the first year of the series. In 1849, coins were struck at the Charlotte, Philadelphia, Dahlonega, and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 948,433. This ranks 3rd of 6 years by total mintage, below the series median of 1.6 million. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a coronet inscribed LIBERTY, encircled by a wreath and the reverse displays a wreath enclosing the denomination 1 DOLLAR and the date. First year of the gold dollar. Both Open Wreath and Close Wreath varieties exist at Philadelphia. The 1849-C Open Wreath is a key date from the Charlotte Mint. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 1.7 grams, 12.7 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Collectors have identified one known die variety for this date (cud). Across its variants, estimated values range from $466 to $938K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $690K in MS63 grade at David Lawrence RC. Designed by James Barton Longacre.