1879 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-64 (PCGS). CAC. This beautiful near-Gem example is brightly lustrous with an intense satin to softly frosted finish and vivid color in rose-gold. The strike is as full as could be expected for a circulation strike three-dollar gold coin, confirming the premium quality of this offering. A gorgeous example worthy of the strongest bids.<p>It soon became evident that, even though the market achieved parity between gold coins and paper currency on December 17, 1878, contemporary Americans had little desire to exchange their bills for three-dollar gold pieces. The year 1879 actually marks the beginning of the end for this unpopular denomination, for after achieving a relatively generous mintage of 82,304 circulation strikes in 1878, production at the Philadelphia Mint plummeted once again in 1879. Only 3,000 coins were delivered for potential commercial use that year, few of which were actually paid out to banks. Several hundred Mint State survivors are known, likely representing coins that were set aside as numismatic keepsakes or, more likely, snatched up by dealers and other speculators during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Few of the examples that we have handled in recent years are as technically sound or aesthetically appealing as this coin. From the Huberman Collection. Acquired from Beacon Hill Coin, March 1966.
