1860

Philadelphia delivered 36,668 gold dollars in 1860, a significant reduction from the previous year. Abraham Lincoln's election that November accelerated the sectional crisis, and South Carolina seceded in December. The Mint's gold dollar production reflected the growing uncertainty: demand for small gold coins softened as the country edged toward conflict, and bullion holders increasingly preferred to ship gold abroad or hold it in anticipation of the monetary disruptions that war would bring.

The 1860 Philadelphia is modestly scarce within the Type 3 series. Circulated examples are available but less plentiful than the high-mintage dates from the mid-1850s. Uncirculated coins exist in smaller numbers, and gems with full luster are uncommon. The coin marks the beginning of the Civil War era in the gold dollar series, a period when mintages fluctuated dramatically and the denomination's role in American commerce changed fundamentally.