1855-S $3 MS(PCGS#7973)

Spring 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8045

Grade

AU50

Price

6,600

Lot Description

A certified AU example dressed in bright honey-gold color. Detail is bold for the grade, but glossiness to the texture and other features betray a light cleaning. The San Francisco Mint's initial contribution to the three-dollar gold series came in 1855 with a mintage of just 6,000 pieces. Virtually all of those coins have long since been lost to commercial use, the issue seeing heavy circulation on the West Coast beginning at the time of striking. Survivors are scarce in an absolute sense and underrated compared to those of the more highly regarded 1854-D. Although the Dahlonega Mint issue has a lower mintage of 1,200 coins, more examples were saved with the result that both of these mintmarked threes are of similar overall rarity in today's market. In fact, Q. David Bowers and Doug Winter (<em>The United States $3 Gold Pieces: 1854-1889</em>, 2005) provide estimates of no more than 160 to 165 coins extant in all grades for both the 1854-D and 1855-S. There are only a handful of true Mint State examples known for the 1855-S, which places extreme collector pressure on About Uncirculated examples.