$4 Gold Stella

The $4 gold Stella coin is perhaps the most enigmatic of any United States coin ever minted. It never made it to circulation, and its' mystique is no less than scandalous. The $4 gold Stella was conceptualized as a vehicle to promote international trade. The idea failed, but not before a number of trial coins were minted for review by members of Congress. These trial coins had a total of four different design variations for review, with the 1879 Flowing Hair $4 gold Stella, designed by Charles Barber, being the most widely available coin today. The obverse side of this coin features Lady Liberty facing left, with loose, flowing locks of hair draping down her neck. The reverse side depicts the eponynymous star, located at the center. The words, ��ONE STELLA 400 CENTS�� are engraved upon the star.

Circumscribing the star are the words, ��E PLURIBUS UNUM DEO EST GLORIA��. Further circumscribing those words, are the words ��UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOUR DOL.�� Other versions of the coin feature Lady Liberty wearing her hair in a tight coil, with a coronet adorning her head, and another coronet design with braided hair. Still another version depicts Lady Liberty with coiled hair. Popular legend states that only about 725 of these coins were minted, with members of Congress pocketing them, and later giving them to their mistresses as gifts. This explains the number of ex-jewelry samples that are known of today. The vast majority of these discontinued coins have apparently faded into obscurity.

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