 In January 1844 , North Carolina Representative James Iver McKay , the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means , solicited the views of Director Patterson on the gold dollar . Patterson had more of Gobrecht 's pattern dollar struck to show to committee members , again advising against a coin that if issued would be only about a half inch ( 13 mm ) in diameter . He told Treasury Secretary John C. Spencer that the only gold coins of that size in commerce , the Spanish and Colombian half @-@ escudos , were unpopular and had not been struck for more than twenty years . This seemed to satisfy the committee as nothing more was done for the time , and when a gold dollar was proposed again in 1846 , McKay 's committee recommended against it . 
 In January 1844 , North Carolina Representative James Iver McKay , the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means , solicited the views of Director Patterson on the gold dollar . Patterson had more of Gobrecht <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>pattern dollar struck to show to committee members , again advising against a coin that if issued would be only about a half inch ( 13 mm ) in diameter . He told Treasury Secretary John C. Spencer that the only gold coins of that size in commerce , the Spanish and Colombian half @-@ escudos , <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> unpopular and <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>had</mark></a> not been struck for more than twenty <a href='negative_concord' title='4'><mark>years</mark></a> . This seemed to satisfy the committee as nothing more was done for <a href='None' title='5'><mark>the</mark></a><a href='negative_concord' title='6'><mark>time</mark></a> , and when a gold dollar was proposed again in 1846 , McKay <a href='null_genetive' title='7'><mark>'s</mark></a>committee recommended against it . 
In January 1844 , North Carolina Representative James Iver McKay , the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means , solicited the views of Director Patterson on the gold dollar . Patterson had more of Gobrecht  pattern dollar struck to show to committee members , again advising against a coin dat if issued would b only about a half inch ( 13 mm ) in diameter . He tld Treasury Secretary John C. Spencer tdatda only gold coins of that size in commerce , the Spanish and Colombian half @-@ escudos , was unpopular and done not been struck for more den twenty no years . This seemed to satisfy the committee as nothing more was done for no time , and when a gold dollar was proposed again in 1846 , McKay  committee recommended against it .