Three-dollar piece

The three- dollar coin was a gold coin with a face value of three U.S. dollar that was minted from 1854 to 1889 in the United States. It was approved by the Law of 21 February 1853, and designed by the engraver James B. Longacre conducting. The front shows a representation of a Libertas feather headdress of an Indian princess and the reverse features a wreath of corn, wheat, cotton and tobacco.

In 1851 the Congress of the United States had the coining of a three - cent piece of silver allowed, so that stamps of this value could be purchased without the use of widely unpopular copper cents. Two years later, a law was passed which allowed the coining of a three - dollar coin. According to some reports the coin was desired, so that could be bought with it large quantities of stamps. According to another opinion, the introduction of this gold coin was based on the rich gold discoveries in California. Longacre tried in the design of the coin, these as different as possible to the Quarter Eagle or 2,50 - make $ piece, and hit them from a thinner blank with a distinctive design. Although in the first year more than 100,000 pieces were minted, the coin has been little used. They circulated mainly on the west coast, where preferably gold and silver were used instead of paper money.