1863

Mintage for 1863 dropped to 6,250 coins, a dramatic 99.5% decline from 1862's 1.36 million. The crash reflected changing Treasury policy. Gold coin production contracted sharply in 1863 as the government focused resources on the war effort. The gold dollar's domestic commercial role had been eliminated by the suspension of specie payments, and the reduced mintage shows how small the demand for new gold dollars had become outside of specialized financial transactions.

The 1863 is scarce. PCGS estimates roughly 75 to 125 survive across all grades. Most fall in the Fine to Extremely Fine range, as the coins that did enter circulation were typically handled carefully given their precious-metal value in a paper-money economy. Uncirculated examples are uncommon, and gems are rare. An MS66 sold for $10,575 at Heritage in February 2006. The 1863 begins a long stretch of low-mintage gold dollar dates that runs through the late 1870s.