Moneta
Registered: August 2005
Location: Arizona USA
Posts: 2,372
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Struck between 1849 - 1854. Part of my 1853 type set. Unfortunately this example has a graffiti 'W' on the reverse and other minor scratches.
The first gold dollar was minted in 1849; it was a tiny coin measuring a diameter of only 13 mm and weighing less than 2 grams. It is the smallest coin that ever entered circulation in the United States. And that is the reason why the Americans were not happy about this coin: Coins this small are easy to lose, and, after all, one dollar still had a considerable value around the middle of the 19th century, for many workers it was more than their daily wage. [CoinsWkly]
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