Coming August 30th, numismatic history will once again be made. Crossing the block in another landmark Bowers and Merena sale will be the Childs specimen of the "Original" Class I 1804 silver dollar, certified Proof-68 by PCGS, the finest known specimen by far! The next few weeks will be devoted to the mystery and historical importance surrounding this rarity. For further information on the sale or to order the catalogue featuring the 1804 dollar, click here.
The "King" is Crowned
In 1866 the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society (earlier and also later known as the American Numismatic Society) launched the first coin collecting periodical, the American Journal of Numismatics. Soon thereafter, the 1804 dollar became the focus of much interest and attention, and numerous articles were published concerning it. Years later in 1888 The Numismatist was first published, a monthly magazine that is still important today. Meanwhile, 1804 silver dollars appeared in auction sales and were otherwise featured in print. By the turn of the century, the 1804 on its own garnered more coverage than the next half dozen rare coin varieties combined. Today in 1999 the same statement holds true.
When the King term was first used is not known, but it was at an early date. In 1885 when S.H. and H. Chapman offered the Chapman Collection 1804, Lot 354 of that sale, the introduction to the catalogue noted "the great rarity, the King of the U.S. Series, the genuine 1804 dollar." In his June 1907 catalogue of the Matthew A. Stickney Collection, Henry Chapman titled the Stickney 1804 dollar a bit more boldly and with an exclamation mark, "THE KING OF UNITED STATES COINS!" The King lived on, with his crown shining more brilliantly than ever, especially in the prose of B. Max Mehl, who in the early twentieth century handled more rarities than any other professional numismatist. His "kingly" admiration of an 1804 dollar is quoted in the preface to the present offering.
This famous rarity later became the subject of a book of its own, The Fantastic 1804 Dollar, by Eric P. Newman and Kenneth E. Bressett, 1962, from which certain of the present summarized account is derived, and "Updating the Fantastic 1804 Dollar," Newman, The Whitman Numismatic Journal, September 1964. Also see Q. David Bowers' 1992 work, Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, which includes several dozen pages on this famous rarity. A more recent essay is "A Restated Opinion on the Origin of the 1804 Dollar and the 1804 Eagle Proofs," by Eric P. Newman, from a presentation given at the Coinage of the Americas Conference, American Numismatic Society, October 30, 1993.
Beyond the technical and historical studies of the 1804 dollar, the famous rarity has been showcased in the columns, front pages, and/or covers of just about every leading numismatic periodical including Coin World, Numismatic News, Coins magazine, COINage, The Numismatist, and more. The several museums and displays fortunate enough to have a specimen of the famous 1804 have showcased it as one of their prime drawing cards, often the center of focus.
Next: 1804 rarity explained.
Q. David Bowers has been in the rare coin business since 1953 when he was a teenager. The author has served as president of the American Numismatic Association (1983-1985) and president of the Professional Numismatists Guild (1977-1979), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the ANA (the Farran Zerbe Award), was the first ANA member to be named Numismatist of the Year (1995), has been inducted into the Numismatic Hall of Fame (at the ANA Headquarter in Colorado Springs), is a recipient of the highest honor bestowed by the Professional Numismatists Guild (The Founders' Award), and has received more "Book of the Year Award" and "Best Columnist" honors given by the Numismatic Literary Guild than any other writer. He has has written over 40 books, hundreds of auction and other catalogues, and several thousand articles.
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