1880 Four Dollar Gold 'Stellas' (1879-1880)

Intriguing History

By 1880, the Stella experiment was effectively over, and the tiny number of Coiled Hair Stellas struck that year exist only as extraordinarily rare patterns for a four-dollar coin that never actually entered circulation. Although stellas traditionally have been cataloged with U.S. patterns, collectors increasingly treat them alongside regular federal gold issues because of their prominence and longstanding inclusion in major U.S. coin references. An 1880 Coiled Hair Stella, Judd-1660, Pollock-1860, graded PR64 Cameo by PCGS, is even scarcer. Heritage has identified 10 surviving examples, the lowest population among the four principal stella varieties.