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1849-C Closed Wreath
| Weight | 1.672 g |
| Diameter | 13 mm |
| Mint | Charlotte |
| Strike | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 11,634 |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Alignment | ↑↓ Coin |
| Composition | 90% Gold, 10% Copper |
| Melt value | — |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
| Collector's Key ID | CK-5222 |
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Other recorded varieties for 1849-C:
- 1849-C Open Wreath · Open Wreath
External references
Charlotte's first gold dollar landed in the middle of a scramble. The Coinage Act of March 3, 1849 created the new $1 gold denomination to absorb California Gold Rush bullion arriving in Philadelphia, and the southern branches had to retool on short notice. Charlotte struck 11,634 pieces in 1849 across two reverse states. The Open Wreath came first and saw very limited use, with fewer than ten survivors traced today; the Closed Wreath replaced it later in the year and accounts for the vast majority of survivors from that combined figure. James B. Longacre designed the issue, his first major coin work as Mint Chief Engraver, and the 13 mm planchet (the smallest U.S. gold coin ever struck) compounded the strike problems that plagued every Charlotte gold dollar of the Type 1 run.
Authentication is the first conversation any buyer should have. The standard counterfeit method is an added Charlotte mintmark grafted onto a 1849 Philadelphia host coin, which is comparatively common and cheap. A genuine Charlotte mintmark sits with the right depth, font, and position relative to the wreath; an added mintmark usually shows tooling around the base, a font mismatch, or solder ghosting under magnification. Doug Winter's Charlotte gold dollar references are the working standard for diagnostics and survival figures. Strike is typically soft on the higher hair detail and the central wreath, a Charlotte hallmark, so collectors should grade the issue against its peer group rather than against Philadelphia output.
This is a Key Date in the Type 1 series and one of the cornerstone Charlotte issues. PCGS census places the Closed Wreath in the low hundreds across all grades, with Mint State examples extremely scarce. Buy it certified by PCGS (the Professional Coin Grading Service) or NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Company), with strong preference for examples that carry a Heritage, Stack's Bowers, or Doug Winter pedigree. For series context and the broader Charlotte production arc, see the Liberty Head Gold Dollar series history.
Reference data only — not an appraisal.
| Grade | Description | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-4 | Good (G) | — | — |
| VG-8 | Very Good (VG) | — | — |
| F-12 | Fine (F) | — | — |
| VF-20 | Very Fine (VF) | $1,700 | $1,965 |
| EF-40 | Extremely Fine (EF) | $2,085 | $2,405 |
| AU-50 | About Uncirculated (AU) | $2,725 | $3,145 |
| MS-60 | Uncirculated (MS) | $7,540 | $8,700 |
| MS-63 | Choice Uncirculated (MS) | $18,705 | $19,805 |
How much is a 1849-C Closed Wreath Liberty Head Gold Dollar worth?
How many 1849-C Closed Wreath Liberty Head Gold Dollars were minted?
What is a 1849-C Closed Wreath Liberty Head Gold Dollar made of?
What is the melt value of a 1849-C Closed Wreath Liberty Head Gold Dollar?
Is the 1849-C Closed Wreath Liberty Head Gold Dollar a key date?
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