1863 Three-Dollar Gold Piece. MS-62 (PCGS). OGH. Highly desirable Mint State quality to represent this overlooked Civil War era three-dollar gold issue. Both sides possess vivid color in deep reddish-gold, tinges of pale silver, powder blue and pinkish-rose also evident as the coin rotates under a light. The finish no less impressive with a soft, satin to frosty texture throughout. Boldly struck and pleasingly smooth appearance in hand.<p>The 1863 is similar in both absolute and high grade rarity to the 1861 and 1862, the circulation strike mintages for these three-dollar gold issues 5,959, 5,750 and 5,000 coins, respectively. Only 300 or so examples of the 1863 are believed extant, most of which are EF and AU coins retrieved from bank reserves during the early 20th century. Rarely seen are Mint State survivors, as here, since far fewer examples of the 1863 were deliberately saved than those of the more highly regarded low mintage issues from the 1880s. Writing in the 2005 reference <em>The United States $3 Gold Pieces: 1854-1889</em>, in fact,. Q. David Bowers and Douglas Winter account for only 30 to 40 Uncirculated coins in numismatic hands. By way of comparison, the authors estimate that 140 to 170 Mint State examples of the 1880 have survived, those from a far lower mintage of 1,000 circulation strikes. For the astute gold collector who recognizes the 1863 as an underappreciated rarity in Mint State, our offering of this lovely near-Choice example represents a significant and fleeting bidding opportunity. PCGS# 7984. NGC ID: 25MJ.
