1874 Large Head Indian Princess Gold Dollar

1874 Indian Princess Large Head gold dollars are popular collectible coins and enjoy a large following by those who buy pre-1933 U.S. gold coins. 1874 gold dollar coins are among the most common gold dollar coins of the 1870s, numbering nearly 200,000 when first minted. As circumstances normally went with pre-1933 gold coins after the gold standard came to an end in 1933, most of these gold dollars were melted. Many of the survivors are either in well-worn grades or have been damaged in some form. Those that remain in problem-free condition are relatively scarce.

1874 gold dollar coins were struck at the Philadelphia mint as both business strikes and proofs; the latter are extraordinarily scarce. What follows is a breakdown of the mintages and values of these coins:

• 1874, 198,800 minted; $353

• 1874 proof, 20; $12,000

*Values are for coins grading Extremely Fine-40, unless otherwise noted.

1874 gold dollar coins are small in size, measuring only 15 millimeters in diameter, weighing just 1.672 grams, and containing a mere 0.04837 ounces of gold. The small size of these coins contributes to their relatively low prices, though it should be noted that the premiums on many gold dollar coins is actually much higher than on the more common, larger pre-1933 gold coins.

1874 gold dollar coins were designed by James B. Longacre, who served as the United States Mint Chief Engraver during the years 1844 through 1869. He designed many important U.S. coins during his time as chief engraver, including the Flying Eagle cent (produced from 1856-1858), Indian Head cent (1859-1909), two-cent piece (1864-1873), various silver and nickel three-cent coins (1851-1889), and the Shield nickel (1866-1883).