1864 $3 MS(PCGS#7985)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3117

Grade

MS62

Price

22,800

Lot Description

A stunning condition rarity in an example of a highly elusive three-dollar gold issue, this is one of only four Mint State 1864 threes stickered by CAC. Its delightful frosty to semi-reflective surfaces are further adorned with vivid orange-gold color, as well as a tinge of light pinkish-rose patina. Fully struck with surfaces that are nicely preserved and temptingly close to a higher Choice Mint State rating.<p>With a mintage that is approximately half as limited as those of the already low mintage 1861, 1862 and 1863 issues, it is little wonder than the 1864 is an even rarer three-dollar gold piece in today's market. The Philadelphia Mint produced only 2,630 circulation strikes of this denomination as the Civil War approached its bloody end, the entire mintage withheld from circulation in the East and Midwest for the duration of that conflict and throughout much of the Reconstruction era. By the time numismatists took notice of this issue during the early 20th century, the best that could usually be mustered was a lightly circulated EF or AU that had managed to survive in the reserves of banks or bullion dealers. Such pieces remain scarce today, Q. David Bowers and Douglas Winter (2005) accounting for just 130 to 170 circulated coins. Not many more than 50 Mint State examples have survived, almost purely as a matter of chance, and these are eagerly sought as highlights in advanced gold cabinets. As one of the finer 1864 threes known to PCGS and CAC, in fact, the premium MS-62 coin offered here will please even the most discerning collector.