FLOAT
1879 Flowing Hair Stella four-dollar gold pattern, obverse and reverse — the Smithsonian's example of the same issue; the tracked Judd-1635 PCGS PR66 Cameo CAC specimen is a different coin
National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution

1879 Flowing Hair Stella ($4 Gold)

Maker
U.S. Mint (Philadelphia)
Year
1879
Rank
23 of 100

1879 Flowing Hair Stella ($4 Gold)

1879 Flowing Hair Stella ($4 Gold) by U.S. Mint (Philadelphia) (1879) is ranked 23 in the FLOAT 100 for Coins. It sold for $324,000 in May 2024. The most-available of the legendary $4 Stella patterns, the classic entry point into this iconic series.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

The most-available of the legendary $4 Stella patterns, the classic entry point into this iconic series.

$4 gold pattern, Flowing Hair, Judd-1635, PCGS PR66 Cameo CAC

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$324,000
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
May 2024

Heritage Auctions, Central States Signature, May 2024. 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR66 Cameo CACG, realized $324,000. An August 2024 ANA PR66 Cameo brought $264,000; a PF63 Cameo $168,000.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08