who is the design of the coin attributed to?
James B. Longacre
Gold dollar
he coin had three types over its lifetime, all designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. 
what is the gold dollar? A gold coin when was it first struck? 1849 and who issued this coin? United States Bureau of the Mint what is this coin made of? Gold
wiki:15184988
Gold dollar [SEP] Introduction
The gold dollar or gold one-dollar piece is a gold coin that was struck as a regular issue by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1849 to 1889. The coin had three types over its lifetime, all designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. The Type 1 issue has the smallest diameter of any United States coin minted to date. A gold dollar coin had been proposed several times in the 1830s and 1840s, but was not initially adopted. Congress was finally galvanized into action by the increased supply of bullion caused by the California gold rush, and in 1849 authorized a gold dollar.