THE GOLD DOLLARS OF 1858

WITH NOTES OF THE OTHER ISSUES

By HOWLAND WOOD

THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

BROADWAY AT I56TH STREET
NEW YORK
 PUBLICATIONS

The American Journal of Numismatics,

1866-1920.

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Quarterly, July, 1870-October, 1912.
Annually, 1913-1920.

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edition. New York. 1911. xxxvi, 412
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vii, 134 pages, 40 plates. $1.00.
NUMISMATIC
NOTES & MONOGRAPHS
editor; SYDNEY P. NOE
 Numismatic Notes and Monographs is

devoted to essays and treatises on subjects

relating to coins, paper money, medals and
decorations, and is uniform with Hispanic
Notes and Monographs published by the

Hispanic Society of America, and with In-

dian Notes and Monographs issued by the
Museum of the American Indian-Heye
Foundation.
THE GOLD DOLLARS p
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WITH NOTES OF THE OTHER ISSUES
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HOWLAND WOOD ao H
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THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

BROADWAY AT I56TH STREET
NEW YORK
1922
 COPYRIGHT 1922 BY
THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC SOCIETY

Press of The Lent & Graff Co., New York

fHEGEny CENTER
LIBRARY
 I

THE GOLD DOLLARS OF 1858

With Notes of the Other Issues
By Howland Wood

A number of years ago one of our old-time

collectors told his son that there was a rare
variety of the 1858 gold dollar with the
word “ Dollar ” much larger than on
the ordinary specimens. While examining
some United States proof sets atan auction
sale 3^ears before, he had noticed this
peculiarity, but through inappreciation of
its rarity at that time he failed to get it.
The son was an enthusiastic collector and
though constantly on the watch for this
variety was never able to locate a specimen.
Other collectors have been on the lookout
for this piece, but so far as known they have
failed in their quest.

NUMISMATIC NOTES
2 GOLD DOLLARS
The piece under consideration was for
many years in the possession of Mr. J. C.
Randall of Philadelphia. It was probably
included in lot 472, a proof set of 1858, sold
with some of his other coins by Cogan on
March 29th, 1882.

Whether the late Ben G. Green saw one

of these coins it is impossible to prove, but
in his Numismatic Reference and Check
Book published in 1902 he lists under the
Gold Dollars of 1858 the second one as
follows : “large 1 Dollar.” This statement
of Mr. Green’s seems to have remained
unnoticed by most collectors.

The American Numismatic Society has

in its possession one of these gold dollars.
Possibly it is the identical Randall specimen.
This piece formed part of the collection of
United States Gold and Silver Coins pre-
sented to the Society in 1908 by the late
J. Pierpont Morgan and it was listed as
“Rare” in the inventory of the collection.
The piece differs in many respects from the
regular issues as will be seen from the
illustration. The letters of the legend on

NUMISMATIC NOTES
 OF 1858 3

the obverse are larger and the head is set

lower in the field.The “ 1 ” on the reverse is
of different shape and the word '‘DOLLAR”
is in much higher letters. The rims around
the edge are a trifle broader. It is a pattern
coin in the strict sense of the word. De-
signed to test out the advisability of making
the inscriptionsmore legible, it failed to do
this and consequently was not adopted.
One or more of these pieces may have found
their way into the proof sets of that year,
but none, or apparently extremely few,
reached the hands of collectors of pattern
coins. This particular variety is only
known otherwise by a few examples struck
in copper.
The gold dollar came into existence in
1849 by Act of Congress on March 3rd of
the same year, together with the twenty
dollar gold piece, though the latter was
not struck for circulation until the following
year. The gold dollar was discontinued in
1889, and the Act to abolish it was passed
September 26th, 1890.
It is interesting to note that the first

pattern for a gold dollar is dated 1836 when

AND MONOGRAPHS
4 (}OLD DOLLARS

the Gobrecht siiver-dollar patterns were

made in anticipation of the resumption cf
striking silver dollars. This first pattern
for a gold piece has a liberty cap in a rayed
circle, and the denomination 1 D, in a
closed wreath on the reverse side.

An interesting gold pattern, struck in

1849, has a square hole in the centre.

In 1852 the so-called ring dollars were
made by way of experiment.

NUMISMATIC NOTES
1
 OF 1858 5

William Barker in 1872 made a new de-

sign for all denominations of the gold and
silver coinage, and specimen pieces were
struck in various metals. These designs
were not adopted.
Of the regular gold dollars there are
several minor varieties of the year 1849,
differing in the size of the stars, lettering and
the wreath. This style with the coronet
head continued into 1854 when a new
design on a larger flan appeared. This
design with a feathered head-dress was
struck in 1854 and 1855. In 1856 the head
was made slightly larger and the head-dress
changed in a few minor details. The
design continued unchanged up to the
cessation of the gold-dollar coinage.
Gold dollars were struck at the Phila-
delphia Mint from the inception until 1889,
and in the branch mints as follows:
New Orleans, with mint mark 0 from
,

1849 to 1853 inclusive, and 1855.

Dahlonega, Ga., with mint mark D, from
1849 ii^to 1861 (when the mint was closed).
Charlotte, N. C., with mint mark C, from
1849 to 1855 inclusive, 1857 and 1859.

AND MONOGRAPHS
 ;

6 GOLD DOLLARS
Pieces dated 1854 are unknown to collec-
tors. The records state that only four
were struck.
San Francisco, with mint mark S, bearing
dates 1854, 1856 to i860 inclusive, and 1870.
Besides the regular issues, various com-
memorative gold dollars have been struck.
These were authorized by Congress and
have been sold at double and sometimes
treble their face value to aid, for the most
part, expositions.

1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition with

portrait of McRinley.
1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition with
portrait of Jefferson.
1904 and 1905 Lewis -Clark Exposition
with portrait on the obverse of Lewis
and on the other side, of Clark.

1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition with head

representing Labor, by Charles Keck.
Struck at the San Francisco Mint.
1916 and 1917 McKinley Birthplace Mem-
orial; Niles, Ohio, with portrait of
McKinley on one side and the INIemo-
rial building on the other.
1922 Grant Memorial Gold Dollar.

NUMISMATIC NOTES
L
 OF 1858 7

There are a number of gold dollars

made chiefly in California, but as the>
have no official status they are not in-

cluded. For most part they can

the
be easily distinguished from the genuine
pieces by their poor workmanship as web
as by their inscriptions and designs.

AND MONOGRAPHS
GOLD DOLLARS 1858 PI. 1

First Type 1849-54

Second Type 1854 and 1855

Third Type 1856-1889

Second Variety of 1858

TYPES OF GOLD DOLLARS

FOR CIRCULATION
If.-
GOLD DOLLARS 1858 PI. II

Louisiana Purchase Exposition

Lewis-Clark Exposition

Panama-Pacific Exposition

McKinley Birthplace Memorial

COMMEMORATIVE
GOLD DOLLARS
 Articles having similar subjects can be bound to-
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The whole conception is for standardization, elas-
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our purposes better in this way than by confining

ourselves wholly to the Journal.

Very truly.

Publication Committee.
 ANNOUNCEMENT.
To THE Members of the American Numismatic Society:
You are herewith receiving the first of the series of
our Numismatic Notes and Monographs, corres-
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we partly solved this problem by making the Journal
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With this new form we we have elimi-
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Edward T. Newell. Tarsos under Alexander.

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Edward T. Newell. Some Rare or Unpublished

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Edgar H. Adams. Private Gold Coinage of

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 —

Numismatic Notes and Monographs

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47 PP- 6 pi. 50c.

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Introduction and Kyparissia Hoard
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10. Edward T. Newell. The First Seleucid

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