A popular feature of the www.raregoldcoins.com blog is the “what’s hot and what’s not” article that I write at the end of every year. As its the very end of what’s been an interesting and active year, let’s take a look at what was in demand in 2011 and what you, literally, couldn’t give away.   
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As I was viewing auctions lots for Heritage’s 2012 FUN sale in Dallas the other day, I got to thinking about a topic that I think most gold coin collectors will find interesting: which issues are really hard to find with good eye appeal. I’ve decided to begin a multi-part study of this and the first featured series is gold dollars. Eye appeal is a combination of factors that makes a coin visually pleasing.   
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I recently bought and sold a coin that I hadn’t handled in quite a few years: a Gem Type Two gold dollar. For those of us of a certain age, this is an exciting coin and one that got me to thinking: is this a type that is underpriced or overpriced? My thoughts on this subject follow. Back in the 1980′s, my mentor in the rare coin business, Paul Nugget, told me an interesting story about Type Two gold dollars.   
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I get calls from potential new gold coin collectors nearly every day. Some of them have spent a good deal of time researching the gold coin market and have a good idea what the coins that they may be buying will cost. Others have no clue and are almost charmingly naive about what they can buy given their budget.   
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As the research I am doing for the third edition of my book “Gold Coins of the Dahlonega Mint, 1838-1861″ comes together, I am learning some interesting things about the availability of each issue, especially in higher grades. I thought it might be interesting to share some of what I’ve learned about high grade gold dollars from this mint.   
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One of the things about the Christmas/New Year’s holidays is that they are a time of remembrance. If you are a coin dealer (and if you’ve been one for as long as I have…) this is a good time to sit around and get all nostalgic about interesting coins that you have seen or sold. I originally thought about writing an article that talked about the great U.S. gold coins that I have sold over the years.   
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