1889 Three Dollar Gold (1889 $3) PCGS MS64. This buttery 1889 Three Dollar Gold Coin gleams with bright mint luster. Slight patina is seen in the upper and right obverse fields. Similarly on the reverse, it is seen in the upper and central fields. A few very minor marks on the obverse keep this coin from a higher mint state grade.

The obverse strike is above average with slight weakness seen on the central portion. The reverse is sharp and well struck. Clash marks, which are characteristic of this type, are seen on both sides. They do not detract from the grade. James Longacre designed the Three Dollar Gold coin using the Indian Princess for his main device. He had to create a motif for the coin that would be distinctly different from the quarter and half eagle coronet designs. The design, similar to his gold dollar, shows a Caucasian Liberty facing left in profile wearing a stylized headdress. Inscribed on the headband is LIBERTY. She is surrounded by the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. In using the Indian Princess design, Longacre felt that he was creating something that was uniquely American rather than an adoption from the classics.

How ironic, from a modern perspective, that Longacre chose a Native American theme to be emblematic of Liberty considering the treatment they received at the hands of the white man. The reverse shows an open wreath of corn, cotton, wheat, and tobacco tied at the bottom with a bow. The denomination 3 appears at the top center of the wreath, with DOLLARS and the date below within the wreath. Longacre liked the wreath design so much that he adopted it for use on the small cent of 1856.

Mintage of the three-dollar gold piece ended in 1889. Many were melted at the abolition of the denomination the next year. With an original mintage of 2,300, all existing coins are rare. In its population report, PCGS shows 50 in MS64 with 38 better.