1861 G$1 (1861 Gold Dollar) PCGS AU58. Lots of pleasing mint luster radiates from this Civil War dated 1861 Gold Dollar. The surfaces are clean, original, and free of distractions. The ends of the feathers and the lines of the hair over Libertys eye show sufficient separation to warrant the grade of AU58. The strike is unusually sharp for the type and date.

Cornelius Vermeule said that the princess design is a banknote engravers version of folk art in the 1850s. The plumes or feathers are more like the crest of the Prince of Wales than anything that saw the Western frontiers. While not all critics were as harsh as Mr. Vermeule, the public was largely indifferent to the dollar coins, which partly explains why as a series they did not have high mintages.

Following the lead of South Carolina, ten other states seceded from the Union in 1861. In February delegates from six of these states met to form the government of the CSA. Jefferson Davis was named as the provisional president, which was confirmed in a general election held in October. The War began on April 12th with the bombardment of the federal Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC.