$1 Liberty Gold Dollars (Type 1)

The $1 Liberty Gold Dollar (Type 1) is the first of three distinct design types issued under the United States gold dollar series, struck from 1849 through 1854. Authorized by Congress in the wake of the California Gold Rush, the one-dollar gold piece became the smallest denomination coin produced in gold by the U.S. Mint. The Type 1 obverse features a small, unadorned Liberty head facing left, wearing a coronet inscribed "LIBERTY," surrounded by thirteen stars and the date. The reverse displays an agricultural wreath encircling the denomination and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." Struck in .900 fine gold, each coin contains just under one-twentieth of a troy ounce of pure gold, giving it a notably diminutive diameter of roughly 13 mm.

Within numismatics, Type 1 gold dollars occupy a foundational place in 19th-century U.S. coinage. The series was produced at multiple mint facilities — Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega, New Orleans, and San Francisco — making branch-mint issues particularly sought after among date-and-mintmark collectors. Circulated examples are graded across the standard Sheldon scale, while surviving uncirculated and Mint State specimens represent a considerably smaller segment of the population. Proof strikings exist for most Philadelphia dates but are rare across the board.

On CoinDuffle, this category brings together Type 1 gold dollars from a range of dates (1849–1854), grades, and mint facilities, listed by professional numismatic dealers. Buyers will find circulated pieces in grades from Fine through AU, alongside select Mint State and slider examples. Both raw (unslabbed) coins and PCGS- or NGC-certified examples appear across listings, spanning common Philadelphia dates and scarcer branch-mint pieces.