STACK'S BOWERS TO OFFER GARRETT 1804 DOLLAR

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 28, July 6, 2014, Article 22

This latest Stack's Bowers blog highlights the Garrett Class III 1804 Dollar being offered in the firm's upcoming ANA auction. Here's a tiny snippet; be sure to see the complete description online or in the auction catalog. -Editor

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is thrilled to present the “King of U.S. Coins,” during our Rarities Night Session of the Official ANA World’s Fair of Money Auction on the evening of Wednesday, August 6. This example of the extremely rare 1804 dollar, struck circa 1859, and pedigreed to 1875, will create quite a stir and attract much bidder activity. The expert description by Dave Bowers and Frank Van Valen is quoted in its entirety, and we hope you enjoy getting this early preview of this extremely important rarity. This is a very important opportunity for collectors, and even if an 1804 is not in your collecting budget, be sure to view this coin during lot viewing at our offices in Irvine or New York, or at the ANA convention.

“In all the history of numismatics of the entire world, there is not today and there never has been a single coin which was and is the subject of so much romance, interest, comment, and upon so much has been written and so much talked about and discussed as the United States silver dollar of 1804.

“While there may be coins of greater rarity (based upon the number of specimens known), none are as famous as the dollar of 1804! This is due to the fact that this great coin was the first coin of United States mintage to have been recognized as the rarest coin of the United States, from the very beginning of American numismatics, more than one hundred years ago. And it is today, as it always has been, the best known and most sought-after coin, not only among collectors, but among the public in general as well.”

B. Max Mehl

1941

There are rarer coins, but in the federal series there are none that challenge the fame, tradition, and glory given to the 1804 silver dollar over a long period of years. In 1941 B. Max Mehl called it “The King of American Coins,” and it still commands that position on the numismatic throne.

Over a long period of years it has been our pleasure to have handled most of the 1804 dollars in existence, from the population of 15 coins totally. Eight Class I dollars are known, one Class II (in the National Numismatic Collection in the Smithsonian Institution), and six of the Class III, including the presently offered coin. Each of our past offerings has created a sensation. The ownership of an 1804 dollar places the buyer in a Pantheon of numismatic fame.

“Three times is a charm” goes the old saying, and for us, the saying never rang more true. This is the third time we’ve had the honor and distinct pleasure to present the Berg-Garrett 1804 dollar to the collecting public. It first appeared in our sale of Part II of the Garrett Collection in March 1980 – that was its first appearance in the numismatic marketplace in 97 years! Now this great treasure marks its first appearance in the public eye since Mrs. Laura Sommer added it to r collection in 1986 just after its appearance in our Harry Einstein Collection in June of that year. Now it is 28 years later and the coin returns to thrill yet another generation of collectors.

Among the great and popular rarities that dot the American numismatic landscape, there is a small group that have been written about time and time again, but deservedly so – the 1804 dollar, the “King of American Coins,” is one of those coins. Indeed, no offering of an 1804 silver dollar would be complete without a background story, as its history is filled with colorful figures and smacks of the inner workings of the Mint in early to mid-19th century America.