1857-S $3.00 NGC AU55

Only 14,000 examples of this date were struck and the 1857-S is one of just four collectable Three Dollar gold pieces from the San Francisco mint. As a date, the 1857-S is generally a scarce issue and it is seen most often in the EF40 to AU50 grade range. It is rare in properly graded AU55, very rare in AU58 and extremely rare in Uncirculated. This pleasing example is totally fresh to the market and it comes from the same source as the lovely AU58 1857-C gold dollar that I purchased at the Baltimore show, It is one of the few 1857-S Threes I have seen that has natural color. The obverse and reverse both show attractive medium russet-gold with mottled underlying reddish hues. The strike is far above average for the date and the surfaces are very clean with none of the marks usually seen on this date. The most recent NGC AU55 example of an 1857-S Three Dollar to sell at auction was Heritage 1/11: 6813 which brought $6,613. The example offered here is far superior due to its color and eye appeal. An important coin and an issue that I personally believed is very undervalued in higher grades.