1852 G$1 Liberty Head Gold Dollar PCGS MS66

Here's a stunning treasure from the heady days of the California Gold Rush. PCGS has graded 24 in MS66, with just 9 finer. That makes this piece a perfect candidate to include in a Registry Set! Ron Guth writes, "The 1852 Gold Dollar is one of the most common dates of the entire series. It is not nearly as common as the uber-plentiful 1853, but it is slightly less common than the 1851. Despite being such a common date, the 1852 is rather scarce in MS66 and better grades." The Liberty Head gold dollar was a short series, one that was produced only from 1849-1854.

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton wrote in his Report on the Establishment of a Mint (1790-91) that there should be both a gold and silver dollar or unit. However, it took until 1849 for the U.S. gold dollar to be first struck.

When Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton crafted his Report that became the Mint Act of 1792, he recommended a bimetallic monetary standard that included both gold and silver. The monetary unit was based upon the dollar, which he foresaw as being struck in both gold and silver. Hamilton was very specific in recommending the following: gold pieces of both 10 dollars or units and 1 dollar or unit, a silver tenth of a dollar or unit, a copper cent, and a copper half cent. However, Congress did not heed the Treasury Secretary on the gold dollar or unit, and it was not until 1849 that a gold $1 coin was produced by the U.S. Mint. Such coins were authorized by Congress in 1849, in part to take advantage of the voluminous amount of gold found during the California Gold Rush.