Pleasant Ranch

The gold dollars were coins produced in the United States in 1830s during the Gold Rush from Carolina. They were first produced by the German immigrant and jeweler Alt Christoph Bechtler known also as Christopher Bechtler who initiated the exchange based on gold coins instead of raw gold, an excellent idea which later was adopted by the United States’ Government. Bechtler developed equipment and presses in order to produce golden coins.

The production of the gold dollars took place from 1849 to 1889. The gold dollar was the smallest coin in the history of the United States’ coinage. The composition of the gold dollar was of pure gold in proportion of 90%. In order to correspond to the standards and the needs of the people several types of coins were designed and produced during this period.

The government authorized the production of golden dollars in 1849 when the Gold Rush from California sparked. James Barton Longacre as the United States’ Mint’s chief engraver had this task to design the new gold dollars.

Liberty’s head was represented on the first type of gold dollar, being also called the “Liberty Head” type of coins. This first type represented the portrait of Liberty with a small crown on her head. It also wore the inscription of the word “Liberty”. The head was encircled by 13 stars which represented the 13 initial colonies. On the reverse of the gold dollars were applied their value and date.

This is considered to be the smallest coin in the coinage history of the United States, being issued between 1849 and 1854. It had a diameter of 13 millimeters. This small size gave birth to protests since they could be easily lost. As a response to these objections, the United States’ Government decided to change the design of the gold dollars.

Thus, the second type, produced from 1854 to 1856, had an increased diameter, precisely of 15 millimeters but the weight and the composition have not been changed. Known as the “Indian Head” this second type of gold dollar represented the head of an Indian princess. The third type produced between 1856 and 1889 had an increased size of the head being called the “Large Head”.

Representations of wheat, corn, cotton and tobacco are to be found on all these three types of gold dollars. The inscription of “United States of America” encircled them and the reverse wore their value and the date when they were issued.

The United States produced a large amount of gold dollars at first, between 1856 and 1862 the production exceeding even the million per year, but starting from 1862 and up to 1889 mintages became extremely rare and lowered considerably.

The investments made in small bars and coins represent the most common and traditional means to Buy Gold.