1885 Gold Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 11,156 made
- Mintage
- 11,156
- Metal
- 90% gold, 10% copper
- Weight
- 1.672 g
- Diameter
- 13 mm (Type 1); 15 mm (Types 2 and 3)
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1885 Gold Dollar worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1885 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1885 Gold Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 11,156 were made, 41st lowest of the 75 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1885 Gold Dollar real gold?
- No, it's gold: 0.0484 troy ounces of pure gold.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1885 Gold Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the wreath. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark. A "D" on a coin dated 1861 or earlier means Dahlonega, Georgia.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1885 are scarcer?
- The 1880 at 1,600, the 1882 at 5,000, the 1886 at 5,000, plus 4 more. So the 1885 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1885 Gold Dollar coins were made?
- 11,156.
What to check on your 1885
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1885 Gold Dollar Proof (1,105 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. Look at the hair above the eye and the bow of the wreath. Many gold dollars were made into jewelry, so check for solder marks or removed loops.
Gold coins are counterfeited more than any other US coins. A genuine 1885 weighs 1.672 g. Buy certified examples from a reputable dealer. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1885
Output at Philadelphia climbed to 11,156 in 1885, from 5,230 the year before. The next year it made 5,000 (1886).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1885 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1853-C (11,515) and the 1883 (10,800).
Philadelphia struck the Gold Dollar in 42 issues between 1849 and 1889. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1875 (400). Within the 1880s it's 8th smallest of 10, between the 1883 (10,800) and the 1888 (15,501).
Hoarded final decade (1880 to 1889)
Gold dollars of the 1880s were struck only at Philadelphia in small numbers, from 1,600 in 1880 to 28,950 in 1889. Speculators, jewelers and gift buyers took many of them. A large share therefore survives in uncirculated condition, often with prooflike surfaces that can be mistaken for proofs.
Proof production jumped to more than 1,000 a year from 1884, a sign of how popular the little coins had become with collectors. The Act of September 26, 1890 ended the gold dollar along with the three dollar gold piece and the three-cent nickel, so 1889 was the final year. Late dates are the easiest gold dollars to find in high grade, although they still carry a premium over their gold content. Look for signs of jewelry mounting on the rim before buying.
How to recognize it
The smallest US coin ever struck came in three types. Type 1 (1849 to 1854) shows a tiny Liberty head and measures only 13 mm. Type 2 (1854 to 1856) is larger and thinner, with Liberty wearing a feathered headdress. Type 3 (1856 to 1889) enlarges the portrait. Every type has a wreath on the reverse around 1 DOLLAR and the date.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Gold Dollar (1849–1889) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 11,156 |
| Face value | $1 |
| Composition | 90% gold, 10% copper |
| Weight | 1.672 grams |
| Diameter | 13 mm (Type 1); 15 mm (Types 2 and 3) |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1885 Gold Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 Gold Dollar | 11,156 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1885 Gold Dollar Proof | 1,105 | Proof | – |
Mintage: Gold dollar (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.