US gold dollars, the smallest of United States gold coins (actually of all US coins) were first issued in 1849 - the same year as the twenty dollar gold piece, the largest of the US gold series.
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TYPE I GOLD DOLLAR [1849 – 1854]. Designed by James B. Longacre. At a mere 13 millimeters in diameter, this is the smallest coin ever minted by the United States (about two-thirds the size of a dime.) The Liberty head design of the obverse side is similar to the design of the much larger twenty dollar gold coin, designed by Longacre and also introduced in 1849. Gold production had jumped off the page with the California Gold Rush. Coins were scarce in the gold fields. Many of the privately minted gold coins in California were of unreliable weight and purity. But the gold dollar coins were easy to lose, owing to their diminutive size. Loss of one of these tiny gold pieces was a serious matter - the same as losing a full days pay! Type I Gold Dollar image courtesy of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles |  |
TYPE II GOLD DOLLAR [1854 – 1856]. To make the gold dollar more convenient, its size was increased from 13 millimeters to 15 millimeters. To compensate for the larger diameter, the coin was made thinner. Weight and purity remained the same as for the Type I coin. The design changed from a Liberty head to an Indian head. The Type II coin is often weakly struck. Type II Gold Dollar image courtesy of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles |  |
TYPE III GOLD DOLLAR [1856 – 1889]. This coin is identical to the Type II in size and weight. The Indian head device was made considerably larger. Striking quality greatly improved. In fact, many of the business strikes (coins made for normal circulation) are mistakenly identified as proofs (coins made for collectors and presentations.) Still, the coin was regarded by the public as inconveniently small. From the mid 1870s through 1889 the gold dollar was made in reduced quantities, often less than 10,000 pieces a year. Even so, it reportedly circulated in the western parts of the US until the nation went off the gold standard in the 1930s. Type III Gold Dollar image courtesy of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles |
