1857-S Three-Dollar Gold Piece. AU-58 (PCGS).Lovely and rare near-Mint quality for this elusive, conditionally challenging early San Francisco Mint issue. Pretty reddish-rose iridescence mingles with warmer golden-orange patina on both sides. The strike is sharp throughout, although the date is weak as always seen; it was impressed lightly into the die from left to right with the 7 the heaviest of the numerals. Ample luster remains, the surfaces pleasingly smooth for the assigned grade with superior eye appeal that will please even the most discerning three-dollar gold enthusiast.<p>Of the 14,250 struck, nearly every piece experienced some degree of circulation in the hustle-bustle California economy. Indeed, an estimated 160 to 225 survive, usually VF to EF, with AU examples such as this considered rare. It is estimated that fewer than a half dozen true Mint State examples of the 1857-S can be accounted for today, which fact further confirms the significance of this attractive AU-58.
