1867 GOLD G$1, TYPE 3 PR65+ Deep Cameo

In 1867, the US purchased Alaska from Russia for $7 million, in what contemporaries termed “Seaward’s Folly” after the Secretary of State that negotiated the acquisition. The purchase, while approved by Senate, the vote only won by one vote. The purchase was made valuable in 1898 when gold was discovered in the territory leading to an influx of settlers. And while natural resources of Alaska alone make the purchase a good one, perhaps its greatest value came during the Cold War when the US did not have to worry about a Russian base directly above capable of launching nuclear weapons at any moment. This 1867 gold dollar recalls a land purchase that would continue to prove its worth.