Large Indian Princess Head Gold Dollars 1856-1889

About This Series

Representing the third and final gold dollar type, the Large Indian Princess Head addressed problems plaguing its predecessor — the Small Indian Princess of 1854-1856 — by slightly increasing diameter while reducing relief for improved strikability. Longacre's refined design retains the Indian Princess in feathered headdress on the obverse, with an agricultural wreath encircling the denomination on the reverse. Produced for thirty-four years across up to three mints, the series spans the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age. The 1861-D carries exceptional historical significance — struck at the Dahlonega Mint after Confederate forces seized the facility, making it one of few coins produced under de facto Confederate authority. Mintages declined as the gold dollar became commercially obsolete — too small for practical use and too valuable as bullion to circulate. Proof issues from the 1880s, sometimes exceeding business-strike mintages, are collected as examples of the Philadelphia Mint's finest miniature work. The series concluded in 1889 after four decades of declining relevance.

Series Information