1879 Stella Gold $4 : Flowing Hair

What This Coin Looks Like (Obverse, Reverse, Mint Mark Location, Special Features, etc.):

There were two major varieties of the 1879 Stella $4 Gold Coin. The more common variety featured flowing hair in the liberty portrait on the obverse of the coin (as depicted above) - while the other rarer variety had coiled hair.

These $4 Four Dollar gold coins are extremely rare and uncommon as they were produced only in 1879 and 1880. The official name of the coin was "Stella" - to describe the four dollar denomination. It was intended by the US Mint that this coin would be universally exchangeable with any other currency in the world. It was originally designed as a pattern and as a way to explore the potential of joining the Latin Monetary Union during this time period. Congress eventually scrapped the idea of joining the international group and the few hundred coins that were produce were sold to congressmen.

The reverse of the coin features a 5-pointed star with the words "ONE STELLA" and "400 CENTS". Around the star features our motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM" and below "DEO EST GLORIA" - which is Latin for "To God is the glory". At the bottom of the reverse is "FOUR DOL.". The obverse features the liberty head portrait. Around the edge is a series of letters and numbers with stars between them: "★6★G★.3★S★.7★C★7★G★R★A★M★S★" - which means 6G (6.0 grams of gold) - .3S (0.3 grams of silver) - .7C (0.7 grams of copper) - GRAMS as the units of the metal composition in the coin.

The difference between the 1879 Flowing Hair vs Coiled Hair Stella $4 gold coin is depicted below in the example comparison image (Source of example images is courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries):

Coin Value Chart: Typical Coin Prices, Values and Worth in USD based on Grade/Condition

Good (G-4)	Very Good (VG-8)	Fine (F-12)	Very Fine (VF-20)	Extremely Fine (EF-40)	About Uncirculated (AU-50)	Uncirculated (MS-60)	Uncirculated (MS-65)	Proof (PR-65)
-	-	-	$89,703	$115,026	$116,249	$149,769	-	$269,789

USA Coin Book Estimated Value of 1879 Stella Gold $4 (Flowing Hair Variety) is Worth $89,703 in Average Condition and can be Worth $149,769 or more in Uncirculated (MS+) Mint Condition. Proof Coins can be Worth $269,789 or more. Click here to Learn How to use Coin Price Charts. Also, click here to Learn About Grading Coins. The Melt Value shown below is how Valuable the Coin's Metal is Worth (bare minimum value of coin). Click here to see the Melt Value of every US Coin.


MELT VALUE: $513.17