Only issued for two years in 1879-1880, the $4 gold piece, or "Stella" issue consisted of a pair of experimental designs. Charles Barber and George Morgan each created designs for these quarter-sized gold pieces depicting Liberty with flowing hair and coiled hair, respectively. With a mintage of 425 coins, the 1879 flowing hair is the only real collectible issue. The other three were minted in double-digits (<25 coins) each and all are highly coveted by collectors.
| coinage-type | Stella four dollar gold |
| desg | PR |
| designer | Charles E. Barber |
| diameter | 22 |
| edge | Reeded |
| fineness | 0.9167 |
| material | Goloid |
| obverse-description | Liberty is seen facing left with flowing locks of hair extending below her neck. The weight and composition of the coin is spelled out with stars between the letters around the periphery. "6 * G * .3 * S * .7 * C * 7 * G * R * A * M * S *" |
| pcgs-link | 8055 |
| pcgs-number | 8055 |
| reverse-description | A star is centered with the words "ONE STELLA", "400 CENTS" written inside. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA * FOUR DOL. around the periphery. The words "DEO EST GLORIA", "E PLURIBUS UNUM" are written inside the circumference. |
| variety | Flowing Hair |
| variety-2 | 1879-1880 |
| weight-grams | 7 |
| year-display | 1879-1880 |