THE "UPRIGHT 5" GOLD DOLLARS

 

In 1856, the United States Mint struck gold dollars with two distinctly different date logotypes. The Slanted 5 variety, which is the much more frequently encountered version, features an italicized 5. This had been the style employed by the Mint through the first six years of the 1850s. The other style, Upright 5, cut a more up-and-down figure.

In June 2002, Krueger and noted expert John W. Dannreuther produced an article for The Numismatist titled A New Slant on Coins of 1850-56, in which the two posited their belief that the appearance of the upright date logotype towards the end of 1856 was the result of an effort to standardize the dates on all U.S. coins. They also put forward evidence that the Upright 5 was produced after the Slanted 5 variety – a position that is supported by the complete shift away from italicized numerals on all U.S. denominations starting in 1857. The quality of research undertaken to produce the article earned the pair the ANA's prestigious Wayte and Olga Raymond Memorial Literary Award.

 

Krueger's deepening understanding of the variety also led him to write a follow up piece about the variety, which was published in the The Numismatist in 2005. In the piece Making the Grade: The 1856 Upright 5 Gold Dollar, Krueger approximated the relative scarcity for the variety, citing opinions from leading numismatists and his own observations. According to Krueger's research, the Mint likely struck no more than 75,000 examples of the Upright 5. A paltry sum compared to the 1,687,936 coins that were likely struck using dies with the italicized date.

A limited number of coins will be on display in Chicago at the 2022 World's Fair of Money at dealer Julian Leidman's booth. Some of the finer pieces will likely head to auction.

To read the complete article, see:
Deadwood Collection of Upright 5 Gold Dollars Comes to Market (https://coinweek.com/us-coins/large-hoard-of-upright-5-gold-dollars-the-deadwood-collection-comes-to-market/)

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