1861 Gold Dollar (1861 G$1) NGC MS62. Civil War One Dollar Gold. Mint luster peeks out from the devices of this Civil War dated 1861 Gold Dollar. A few small contact marks are seen on Liberty’s face, and there is very light abrasion in the fields, which keep the coin from a higher mint state grade. The strike is strong on the obverse and somewhat less so on the reverse. Clash marks, which are typical for the date and design type, are seen particularly on the reverse.

These do not affect the desirability or grade of the coin. Designed by James Longacre, this coin is the Type 2 “Indian Princess,” Large Size, Broad Head design, which was issued from 1856 to 1889. It is a redesign of the Type 1 made necessary because the date wore out so easily that the new coins looked as if they were circulated. On the Type 2’s, the obverse relief was lowered to allow the reverse design to be struck up.

The dollar coins of 1861 to 1863 have small numerals. In fact, similar to the three cent silvers, they have the smallest dates used in United States coinage.