1878 $3 Gold Indian Head

Considered one of the most unusual coin denominations struck by the U.S. Mint, the beautiful $3 Indian Princess gold coin was supposedly created to make it easier to purchase a sheet of one hundred 3¢ stamps or a bag of one hundred 3¢ silver coins. But the public never embraced the idea and as a result, mintages were low.

Designed by James Longacre, the obverse shows Liberty as an Indian Princess facing left, wearing a headdress inscribed with liberty. Struck only in limited quantities from 1854 to 1889 (a total of 538,074 coins were produced, during the span of 36 years) the beautiful $3 Indian Princess is now a scarce, precious 19th century collectible.