Small Indian Princess Head Gold Dollars 1854-1856

About This Series

James B. Longacre's Type 2 gold dollar expanded the denomination's diameter from the original Liberty Head's tiny 13mm to a broader 15mm, placing a female figure wearing a feathered Native American headdress on a slightly larger canvas — but the increase created new problems. The high-relief design proved extremely difficult to strike properly, with the result that most surviving examples show weakness in the central details and hair definition, making fully detailed specimens rare and highly prized. Produced for just three years at Philadelphia, Dahlonega (D), and Charlotte (C), the Type 2 gold dollar is the shortest-lived of the three gold dollar types. The 1855-D is the series' significant rarity, with a Dahlonega mintage of just 1,811 pieces producing one of the scarcest regular-issue gold coins of the 1850s. Charlotte Mint issues (1855-C) are also scarce as Southern gold pieces carrying the romance of the pre-Civil War branch mints. Struck in .900 fine gold at 1.672 grams, these tiny coins carried a full dollar's purchasing power. The design's striking difficulties led Longacre to create the Type 3 (Large Indian Princess Head) in 1856, which reduced the relief to resolve production issues. Despite its brief run, the Small Indian Princess Head gold dollar remains a popular type coin and an essential component of gold dollar type sets.

Series Information