1867 Three Dollar Patterns

About This Coin

Struck at the Philadelphia Mint during the second year of the Reconstruction Era program, these 1867 three-dollar pieces continued design exploration for one of American coinage's most unusual gold denominations. The three-dollar gold piece had served since 1854, authorized primarily to simplify stamp sheet purchases, but never achieved widespread acceptance and circulated mainly in the Southeast. The obverse features experimental post-war designs, while the reverse tested compositions including nickel and aluminum alongside gold. An impressive auction result of $49K in PR68 at Heritage Auctions reflects the premium for superb gem-quality Reconstruction patterns. The three-dollar denomination's precarious position — too close to the quarter eagle to serve a distinct purpose — made it a natural candidate for scrutiny. The coin survived unchanged until abolition in 1890, Longacre's Indian Princess Head remaining beautiful but impractical. These patterns preserve alternative design proposals that might have given the denomination a different visual identity during its final decades of increasingly marginal commercial relevance.