Obverse Image: Left-facing Liberty head with flowing hair. Stars between all letters around edge of coin.
Obverse Text: 6 / G / .3 / S / .7 / C / 7 / G / R / A / M / S / 1879
Reverse Image: Star in center.
Reverse Text: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / FOUR DOL. / E PLURIBUS UNUM / DEO EST GLORIA / ONE STELLA / 400 CENTS
Description
The four-dollar gold piece, or Stella, was the brainchild of the United States minister to Austria-Hungary, John A. Kasson. Kasson wanted an American gold coin that would trade on a par with a number of European counterparts, and the Stella seemed to be the answer.
Patterns were struck in a variety of metals, with two depictions of Liberty. George T. Morgan was responsible for this version, a goddess with coiled hair. Charles E. Barber contributed the second idea, a Liberty with flowing hair.
At the time, aluminum was popular as a pattern coinage metal. It was scarce, and it took a lovely impression from the dies. Experts call this piece a high Rarity-7, suggesting that four to six pieces exist.