The fourth Best of the Mint set releases August 27, 2026, at noon ET, and it pairs the most famous coin in American numismatic history with a full ounce of .9999 fine gold. The 1804 silver dollar, known for more than a century as the “King of American Coins,” is the design at the center of this set. It is also the first one-ounce gold entry in the five-set series, and the price will reflect it.
What’s in the Set
Gold coin (1 oz .9999 fine gold, Proof, high relief): A faithful reproduction of the Class I 1804 silver dollar, struck in 24-karat gold. The obverse features Robert Scot’s Draped Bust Liberty facing right with flowing hair, seven stars to the left, six to the right, “LIBERTY” above, and “1804” below. A Liberty Bell privy mark with the vertical numeral “250” appears in the right field, tying it to the semiquincentennial program. The reverse displays a heraldic eagle with raised wings, a United States shield on its breast, 13 arrows and an olive branch in its talons, and an “E PLURIBUS UNUM” ribbon in its beak. Thirteen stars and an arc of clouds appear above, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” around the border. The edge carries lettered inscriptions with the denomination “ONE DOLLAR” separated by stars.
Silver medal (1 oz .999 fine silver): A modern companion designed and sculpted by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Joseph V. Noorigian. The obverse shows a youthful Liberty facing left with flowing, ribbon-like hair, thirteen five-pointed stars, “LIBERTY,” and “2026.” The reverse depicts an eagle in flight above a globe with a rising sun sending rays across the field. A braided ring of clouds encircles the Earth, echoing the arched cloud motif on the original 1804 dollar’s reverse. The inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” follows the upper border.
The product code is 26BM4. The Mint has set a household order limit of one.
The Original 1804 Silver Dollar
No 1804 silver dollar was actually struck in 1804. Mint records show 19,570 silver dollars produced during calendar year 1804, but those coins almost certainly carried 1803-dated dies. Early Mint workers used dies until they broke, regardless of the calendar. Regular silver dollar production stopped after 1803 because rising silver prices made the large coins attractive for export and melting.
The famous 1804-dated coins came three decades later. In 1834, the State Department asked the Mint for complete proof sets to present to the King of Siam and the Sultan of Muscat as diplomatic gifts. Since the Mint’s own records listed 1804 as the final production year for the silver dollar, engravers cut new dies with that date. The resulting coins looked like lost relics of the early republic. In reality, they were made in 1834-1835.
Sixteen specimens are now known to exist, classified into three groups. Class I (8 known): the diplomatic presentation pieces, struck circa 1834-1835 with lettered edges reading “HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT.” These are the coins the Best of the Mint set reproduces. Class II (1 known): a unique plain-edge piece now in the Smithsonian, struck over an 1857 Swiss shooting thaler. Class III (7 known): later restrikes produced in the late 1850s or early 1860s, likely by Mint employees for private sale, using a different reverse die.
The census grew from 15 to 16 in August 2025, when Stack’s Bowers Galleries announced a previously unpublished Class III specimen from the James A. Stack Sr. Collection that had been held privately since before 1951. PCGS graded it Proof-65 with CAC approval. It sold in December 2025 for $6 million. The overall auction record stands at $7.68 million, set in 2021 for the Childs-Pogue Class I specimen.
Specifications
| Detail | Gold Coin | Silver Medal |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | .9999 fine gold (24k) | .999 fine silver |
| Weight | 1 troy ounce | 1 troy ounce |
| Finish | Proof, high relief | TBD |
| Date Displayed | 1804 | 2026 |
| Designer | Robert Scot (historic) | Joseph V. Noorigian |
| Edge | Lettered (ONE DOLLAR) | TBD |
| Privy Mark | Liberty Bell / 250 | None |
Pricing and How to Order
The Mint has not published the official price. It uses a tiered pricing matrix tied to the current gold spot price. With gold trading near $4,350 as of early August, expect a set price in the range of $5,200 to $5,500. The exact figure will depend on where gold is trading when the Mint locks in pricing closer to August 27. No mintage limit or product limit has been announced.
The set will be available exclusively at usmint.gov starting at noon ET on August 27. Demand for the earlier sets has been strong, particularly the Mercury Dime (the 1/10 oz set sold out quickly). If you are planning to buy, have your Mint account set up and logged in before the window opens.
For context on what one ounce of gold costs outside the numismatic market, compare live gold bullion prices across dealers. The difference between the dealer price and the Mint’s set price is roughly the collector premium you are paying for the design, the Proof finish, and the semiquincentennial packaging.
The Full Best of the Mint Series
| Set | Gold Coin Size | Release Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 Mercury Dime | 1/10 oz | June 4, 2026 | Released |
| 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter | 1/4 oz | July 10, 2026 | Released |
| 1916 Walking Liberty Half Dollar | 1/2 oz | August 6, 2026 | Released |
| 1804 Silver Dollar | 1 oz | August 27, 2026 | Upcoming |
| 1907 Saint-Gaudens High Relief $20 | 1 oz | September 24, 2026 | Upcoming |
The series scales from 1/10 oz to 1 oz, with the final two sets both containing a full ounce of gold. Collectors building the complete five-set collection are looking at a total outlay in the range of $15,000 to $17,000 depending on gold price movements at each release date.
Why This Set Matters
The first three sets in the series draw from the 1916 design revolution, when three of the most beautiful American coin designs debuted in a single year. The 1804 Dollar set marks a shift from artistic significance to historical rarity. The cheapest original 1804 dollar to trade at auction in recent years sold for more than $3 million. The Mint is giving collectors a way to hold the design in gold for a fraction of that price.
For gold buyers tracking premium trends, the set also functions as a data point. The spread between the set price and the gold melt value tells you what the numismatic market is willing to pay for a U.S. Mint proof with a historically significant design. If secondary market prices hold above issue price after release, it signals demand that the Mint did not fully satisfy.
Other 2026 Semiquincentennial Releases
The Best of the Mint series is one part of a broader 2026 commemorative program. For a look at other semiquincentennial issues, including the 2026-W Proof Gold Eagle, the 2026-W Proof Gold Buffalo, and the 2026 American Silver Eagle, see our coverage of the full 2026 US Mint bullion lineup.
