1855 Gold Dollar. MS-62 (PCGS). Especially bright and lustrous for this elusive type coin with frosty green-gold surfaces. The strike is sharp enough to bring out Libertys finer curls and the definition on the wreath. Even the often poorly defined central details on the reverse are sharper than average on this example including the letters of the denomination and the digits of the date. The design of the gold dollar was modified in late 1854 to a larger diameter, but thinner planchet by the able hand of Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. As a result, the planchet feeding mechanism jammed frequently allowing the dies to clash together without a planchet between them, thus imparting their designs into each other instead of the intended coins. Gold dollars of this second style and similarly thin planchets for three cent silver pieces were prone to this common coining conundrum. Examination reveals visible die clashing on each side of this piece.
