> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘Four Dollar Stella’ a big draw downtown - URL: https://www.smdp.com/four-dollar-stella-a-big-draw-downtown/ - Published: 2007-10-19T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T03:30:37.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: local, Downtown, #archive-import *Rare coins visit SM* DOWNTOWN A Santa Monica-based precious metals company has put together one of the finest coin collections ever assembled, the crown jewel being a “Four Dollar Stella” gold coin from 1880 that is valued at over $3 million dollars. Lear Financial, which put the collection on display for the media Thursday, was commissioned by a New York-based collector three years ago to put together a four coin set that featured the renowned Coiled Hair, one of only eight known to be still circulating. Other coins featured in the set include an 1879 Flowing Hair, of which only 425 are known to exists; and 1879 Coiled Hair, of which only 12 are believed to still be around; and an 1880 Flowing Hair, of which there are only 17. The set is worth close to $6.5 million. “This is one of the finest sets of gold coins in the world,” said Kevin DeMeritt, president of Lear Financial. “(The Coiled Hair) is a gorgeous coin and (makes for) an impressive set. It has been an honor putting this together.” All coins in the collection are made of 6 grams of gold and.3 grams of silver and feature a profile picture of Lady Liberty on one side and a large, five-pointed star on the other. The words E Pluribus Unum (One out of Many) and Deo Est Gloria (God is Glorious) circle the star, which are, in turn, surrounded by the inscriptions United States of America and Four Dollar. Coiled Hair coins feature Lady Liberty with her hair in a bun while the Flowing Hair coins show Lady Liberty letting her hair down. The four dollar coins were intended to compete globally with a myriad of similarly valued pieces including the French 20 franc coin, the Spanish 20 pesetas, the Dutch and Austrian 8 florins and the Italian 20 lire, DeMeritt said. Like the $10 eagle and its smaller and larger counterparts, the Stella — Latin for star — was to be another denominational unit, and other coins would be expressed in fractions or multiples of it. The Flowing Hair was engraved by Charles Barber, the sixth chief engraver of the U.S. Mint from 1879 until 1917, and the Coiled Hair by George Morgan, the seventh chief engraver and creator of the silver dollar. The Stella never saw regular production. Congress killed the legislation and only patterns were made, all proofs. “Only a few wealthy and determined collectors have ever been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to put together a complete four-piece set of these historic coins,” a statement from the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), which grades collectible coins. Collecting rare coins is a good investment, DeMeritt said, especially since the dollar has fallen in value compared to other currency around the world. Gold is still very valuable and gold coins even more so because of their rarity. Gold is selling for $767 an ounce, according to NGC. Earlier this month, a collector paid $5 million for a rare $10 gold coin made for President Andrew Jackson to give as a diplomatic gift during a trade mission to Asia. The 1804-dated Eagle coin is one of only four still in existence. Tracking down all the coins in the set was no easy task, DeMeritt said. “For the most part, collectors want to remain anonymous so It is hard to find out exactly who has what,” he said. “Records too aren’t very reliable so it really is just a matter of going out there and talking with dealers to see who might have the coin you’re looking for. “It really came down to having a lot of luck.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 19, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101907.pdf?ref=smdp.com)