The Liberty Head Gold Dollar which is also known as the Type 1 Gold Dollar was minted from 1849 to 1854. In 1792 when the U.S. Mint first opened, there was no plan for this denomination to be produced. It wasn’t until March 3, 1849 after two gold rushes, that the government decided to expand the country’s currency and began minting gold dollars. Without the California gold rush this coin may never had existed. The gold dollar was designed by James B. Longacre and is the smallest coin in the history of US coinage.
