1863 $3 Three Dolalr Gold NGC MS62 – Struck at the Philadelphia Mint in the middle of the American Civil War, this odd denomination gold coin had a small mintage of just 5,000 pieces. Some circulated for a short period after the Civil War, but most of this issue remained in storage at the Mint and were subsequently melted after the Civil War. As such, this is a scarce issue in all grades, sometimes available in grades up to about uncirculated but considerably more difficult in uncirculated grades.

With the sesquicentennial of the Civil War rapidly approaching, issues such as the present piece are destined to rise in value over the next few years. We have seen this tendency with other series which were featured in many places at the time, such as the early Lincoln Cents with the centennial of those issues this year. With that information, this is an excellent time to secure some classic Civil War issues in premium quality, and to build a nice collection of this important part of American history.

The present piece has been certified by NGC in a new holder, and looks PQ to us. Booming luster is seen on both sides, which feature a wonderful golden color. The fields are relatively mark-free for the grade, and the devices have been strongly struck. The eye-appeal is very good, as many pieces of this and similar issues have been cleaned, dipped or otherwise damaged in recent years. None of that happened to this coin, making it a prime example of this seldom available issue.