The Civil War had only moderately impact on the western states and territories. One difference was the circulation of money, which was virtually non-existent in the east. In the west however, where prices always had been much higher and currency notes were considered to be of lesser value than actual coins, circulation remained fairly high. As such, this issue is not as easily located as the Philadelphia coins of the same era, which often (but not always) had higher mintages.

The present piece was very well produced at the time, with a near full strike highlighting all the details on both sides. It has remained in its original skin, exhibiting the orange-yellow color not frequently encountered anymore on this issue. It shows only a few minor luster breaks that account for the grade, although it seems impossible that these were encountered in actual circulation. A wonderful coin and a rare opportunity for the specialist or collector of Civil War dated gold coinage. Extremely scarce, with only 2 or 3 pieces believed to exist that would grade higher.