1880 $3 Indian Princess Head NGC PF67+ Ultra Cameo

The U.S. $3 Gold Piece (Indian Princess Head design) was struck from 1854 to 1889, an unusual denomination conceived in part to facilitate purchasing postage (when a sheet of 100 three-cent stamps cost $3). The coin was designed by James Barton Longacre.

Obverse: Features a portrait of Liberty depicted as a Native American princess wearing a feathered headdress. The design was created by James Barton Longacre and includes the word LIBERTY on the headdress band.

Reverse: Displays a wreath composed of agricultural crops—corn, wheat, cotton, and tobacco—encircling the denomination 3 DOLLARS and the date 1880. The coin bears no mintmark, indicating it was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.

The coin represents a significant late Reconstruction-era gold rarity with its tiny proof mintage and end-of-era significance making it a prized specimen for collectors.

The PF67+ Ultra Cameo in question likely represents one of the absolute finest known survivors of the 1880 proof mintage. The "Ultra Cameo" designation (NGC) – equivalent to "Deep Cameo" at PCGS – is assigned to proofs with extremely strong field-to-device contrast. On gold proofs of this era, heavy cameo frost on devices is not universal, making Ultra/Deep Cameo pieces especially coveted.

The "+" grade from NGC further indicates this coin is on the upper end of the PF67 grade, possessing extraordinary eye appeal and technical quality that just misses the PF68 threshold