1857-S 3 Dollar Gold Piece

Looks to me like a bit of wear on the lower curls, making it an AU-58. If I'm wrong or they cut the Princess a break, a shot at MS. Very nice 14K mintage coin. I can see why it's going to be hard to part with. It will certainly fund a nice acquisition. If getting it graded is an option, I think that will provide a really nice bump in what you get for it.

This must be certified by PCGS or NGC before considering selling.
I would put it in the upper AU range but looks to have had a light cleaning in my opinion.
Fantastic coin!

This coin is without a doubt authentic, I only buy from individuals (very close gold coin collector friends of mine) whom I respect and trust. Years ago I had several experts look at the coin for authenticity, so that is not my worry. My collection consist only of gold coins, as it is my passion. I cannot express enough how hard it is for me to part with this coin. I believe it to be an AU58, but generally I do not care about grading in my collection as I keep the coins that I collect, I only wish to trade up and collect the gold pieces I want in my collection. That being said, I don't to "give" this piece away either. I have found that this community generally hits it on the mark for grading purposes. All your comments and views are VERY much appreciated as I only hope to confirm what I believe. Please, keep the comments and observations coming!

rfields, while you personally are certain of the coin's authenticity, remember your target market will need the confidence they find in seeing the coin graded by a third party. The difference in AU grades is several thousands of dollars - to maximize your return it will be well worth your while to send it in.

As a fanatic of Classic and Colonial copper, I can't tell you how many raw purchases I have made from fellow EAC members, some coins being quite rare. It's a quite trusted and very ethical bunch of folks.
Having said that, yes, I do feel you would maximize your return going with PCGS or NGC in this particular case given it's rarity.

The only Dahlonega $3? Um, I understand now.

There are a couple of members here who are more than cognizant with these types; I suspect you'll be seeing them in this thread soon.

From the very small group of gold coin collectors and friends I have associated with over 35+ years I could not have said it better than SsuperDdave..."The Classic gold collector market is, much like early copper collectors, a very close-knit group. And like that copper, moving raw coins between them is not difficult. Moot point"
Collecting is as much about trust, sharing and friendship as it is about the collection itself. I understand it still has to be valued, however, I could not breach a trust from so close a friendship as this small group of friends. I would gladly give the coin to a member for free as to deceive a single one of them.

Beautiful coin and I agree with previous comments. I echo the folks who recommend having it graded (PCGS would be my choice) to confirm authenticity, assign a numeric grade, and provide a documented "expert" opinion that the coin is problem-free. All these factors will affect the potential sale price which in turn determines how close you come to covering the cost of that 1854-D. If you truly believe your collector community won't care about certification then you might conduct an unofficial auction among the $3 gold fans and sell to the highest bidder. Simple!

As far at the coin is concerned, it looks frosty with sharp denticles and excellent headdress detail. There are a number of small pockmarks in the fields but they are well-scattered and not too distracting. I see what looks like roughness along the lower left edge of the wreath. This could be an artifact from the original planchet. Given the rarity of the coin it may not matter but if it were a common date I would think this sort of feature would hurt eye appeal and depress the sale price a bit.

There may be slight wear along the lower edge of the LIBERTY band and at the lower hair curls. Otherwise it seems very close to mint state. The photos however do not show much if any luster and the coin should have solid luster given the lack of wear. Although I don't see any hairline scratches from cleaning, a lack of luster is a common sign of a cleaned coin. Any chance you can post larger images using different lighting?