1849-D Gold Dollar (1849-D G$1) NGC MS63. First year of issue for the gold dollar, struck at the Dahlonega Mint. The present coin is a blazing and lustrous example of this popular issue among southern-gold specialists. The Dahlonega Mint only struck gold coins between 1838 and 1861, after which it was seized by the confederate army. The smallest town that ever struck federal US coins, Dahlonega is now a small city in Georgia with a population of 3,800 people. Together with the Charlotte and New Orleans Mints, these southern Mints have always attracted gold specialists for their romance and history.

Mintages were mostly small, as it depended on the amount of gold that was deposited at the Mint. Of the gold dollar, examples were struck continuously until the last year of operation in 1861. The first year had a total mintage of 21,588 coins, of which approximately 35 to 50 remain in uncirculated condition. While this is a low number, this makes it one of the most common Dahlonega issues in mint-state.

While collecting gold dollars by date is a task not taken by many, presumably because of their size, this is also the only open wreath issue from the Dahlonega Mint. As a result, anyone who is building a southern-gold type set needs an example of this issue, which are always in demand.

The present piece, graded by NGC as MS-63, is of premium quality for the grade. A very strong strike, this must be one, if not the boldly pressed example of this issue. Lustrous, untoned surfaces show no major distractions along with full luster. Some blemishes in the fields, in particular the left obverse field, show that account for the grade. This coin represents a rare opportunity to acquire an uncirculated gold coin from this beloved Mint.