1870 Indian Princess Three Dollar

About This Coin

The 1870 Indian Princess Three Dollar is a United States dollar from the Indian Princess Three Dollars 1854-1889 series — 17th of 36 years in the series. In 1870, coins were struck at the San Francisco and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 3,536. This ranks 21st of 36 years by total mintage, above the series median of 2,665. The obverse features a female figure wearing a feathered headdress, representing Liberty in the guise of a Native American princess, similar to but distinct from the gold dollar design and the reverse displays a wreath of tobacco, wheat, corn, and cotton enclosing the denomination 3 DOLLARS and date. The 1870-S is a legendary rarity — believed to be unique, struck for the San Francisco Mint cornerstone ceremony. Struck in 90% gold, 10% copper, weighing 5.02 grams, 20.5 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 5 years before the celebrated 1875 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.7K to $22K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $5520K in SP50 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.