1862 Gold Dollar - 1862 Gold $1 NGC MS63 CAC. This Mint state, fresh, Civil War dated 1862 Gold Dollar shimmers with bright mint luster. The coin is well struck with full details on the ends of the feathers, Libertys hair, the date, and the bow knot. A slight bit of abrasion keeps this coin from a higher mint state grade, which is confirmed by CAC. This approval means that the coin is of premium quality and fully merits the grade it was assigned.

The so called Indian Princess Head gold dollar was designed by James Longacre and minted from 1854 to 1889. The first, which is actually Type 2 because there was a prior Liberty Head gold dollar, was issued until 1856. The second Indian Princess gold dollar, Type 3, was minted from 1856 to 1889. The present coin is a Type 3.

The Type 2 gold dollar showed a head of Liberty facing left wearing a stylized feathered headdress. It is inscribed LIBERTY on the headband. She is surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The reverse shows an open wreath of corn, cotton, maple, and tobacco tied below with a bow. The wreath encircles the denomination, 1 DOLLAR, and the date. The problem with the coin was that it did not strike up well. In fact mint state examples looked worn and, in some cases, so circulated that the date could not be read on the coin. This problem most affected the branch mint issues, which Longacre did not get to see until afterwards. The proofs that he saw did not have this as a problem. To remedy this situation, Longacre designed the Type 3 gold dollar. While the design was similar to the previous issue, Longacre lowered the relief and moved the obverse head so as not to be opposite a reverse relief area. This coin is called the Large Size or Large Head.

The CAC population, as of March 2012, shows 26 in MS63 with 63 better.