1855/4 Gold Dollar - BG-511

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,140 MS63 10-03-2001 Heritage Auctions

Description

This octagonal California gold dollar, designated BG-511 in the Breen-Gillio catalog, dates to 1855 and measures approximately 15 to 16 millimeters in diameter. The first period of California fractional gold production (1852–1858) saw dozens of San Francisco jewelers and coiners manufacturing these miniature gold coins to fill the vacuum left by the virtual absence of federal small-denomination coinage on the Pacific Coast. The obverse features a Liberty Head design — a portrait of Liberty wearing a coronet or wreath — which is the most prevalent motif across the California fractional gold series. The reverse displays the denomination within a wreath or decorative border. The octagonal format of this piece departs from the conventional circular planchet shape familiar from regular federal coinage, creating a distinctive eight-sided coin at a dramatically reduced scale. This variety displays an overdate (1855/4), where a new date was punched over an earlier date already present in the die. Overdates in the California fractional gold series provide evidence of die reuse — a practical economy measure by the private coiners who manufactured these pieces. The traces of the underlying date are typically visible upon close examination, and overdate varieties are sought by specialists for the insight they provide into production practices.

Rarity Notes

Scarce to rare. First-period California fractional gold coins survive in smaller numbers than their Period Two counterparts, reflecting lower original mintages and the attrition of circulation. The 1855/4 overdate is a collected variety that typically brings a premium over non-overdate issues of the same year and denomination.

Cross References

BG-511; Breen-Gillio catalog; PCGS #10488; NGC #501511; California Fractional Gold Dollar; Octagonal; Period One (1852–1858)