The elusive 1865 Three Dollar Gold has the lowest mintage figure of any issue in this challenging series struck prior to 1881, with only 1,140 business strikes produced. For that reason alone it has always been a popular coin with collectors, but unlike some later date, low mintage issues, the 1865 is genuinely rare in all grades. There are perhaps fewer than 65 pieces extant today, and most survivors are AU at best, with the population of Mint State pieces believed to be in the neighborhood of 20-25 coins.