1859-S Gold Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 15,000 made
- Mintage
- 15,000
- Metal
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Weight
- 1.672 g
- Diameter
- 13 mm (Type 1); 15 mm (Types 2 and 3)
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1859-S Gold Dollar worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1859-S is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1859-S Gold Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 15,000 were made, 48th lowest of the 75 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1859-S Gold Dollar real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.0484 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1859 Gold Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the wreath. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. A "D" on a coin dated 1861 or earlier means Dahlonega, Georgia. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1859 are scarcer?
- The 1857-S at 10,000, the 1858-S at 10,000, the 1860-S at 13,000, plus 1 more. So the 1859-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1859-S Gold Dollar coins were made?
- 15,000.
What to check on your 1859-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1859-D (4,952 made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1859 Gold Dollar Proof (80 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at the hair above the eye and the bow of the wreath. Many gold dollars were made into jewelry, so check for solder marks or removed loops.
Gold coins are counterfeited more than any other US coins. A genuine 1859-S weighs 1.672 g. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1859-S
San Francisco made 15,000 in 1859, up from 10,000 in 1858. In 1860 the figure was 13,000.
The other mints made far more that year: 1859 alone came to 168,244, roughly 11 for every 1859-S. If you're checking a pile of 1859 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1854-S, Type 1 (14,632) and the 1888 (15,501).
Across San Francisco's 7 Gold Dollar issues, the hardest to find is the 1870-S with 3,000 made. The 1859-S is one of the easier ones. Within the 1850s it's 21st smallest of 38, between the 1854-S, Type 1 (14,632) and the 1856-S (24,600).
Type 3 at the southern mints (1857 to 1861)
The Type 3 design used a larger, flatter head that struck up better than Type 2. Philadelphia made hundreds of thousands each year, but Charlotte and Dahlonega produced only a few thousand and these coins are scarce. San Francisco struck 10,000 to 15,000 a year. Charlotte struck its last gold dollars in 1859.
The 1861-D is the famous coin of this era. After Georgia seized the Dahlonega Mint in April 1861, a small number of gold dollars were struck there under Confederate control. It is a major rarity today and is often counterfeited. Philadelphia struck 527,150 gold dollars in 1861 as the war began. Branch mint Type 3 dollars of these years are usually found in Very Fine to About Uncirculated.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1859
The Indian Head cent replaced the Flying Eagle cent in 1859. Its first-year reverse showed a laurel wreath, replaced by an oak wreath and shield the next year.
How to recognize it
The smallest US coin ever struck came in three types. Type 1 (1849 to 1854) shows a tiny Liberty head and measures only 13 mm. Type 2 (1854 to 1856) is larger and thinner, with Liberty wearing a feathered headdress. Type 3 (1856 to 1889) enlarges the portrait. Every type has a wreath on the reverse around 1 DOLLAR and the date.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Gold Dollar (1849–1889) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1859 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 15,000 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Weight | 1.672 grams |
| Diameter | 13 mm (Type 1); 15 mm (Types 2 and 3) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1859 Gold Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1859 Gold Dollar | 168,244 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1859 Gold Dollar Proof | 80 | Proof | – |
| 1859-S Gold Dollar | 15,000 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1859-C Gold Dollar | 5,235 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1859-D Gold Dollar | 4,952 | Circulation strike | – |
Mintage: Gold dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.