1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Name on Base. Original. Judd-60, Pollock-65

Seldom-Offered 1836 Judd-60 Gobrecht Dollar in Die Alignment II From the Original Issue of December 1836 1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Name on Base. Original. Judd-60, Pollock-65, JD-2. Rarity-2+. Silver. Plain Edge. Die Alignment II. Proof-61 (NGC). Korein-73. DTS Die State F. Liberty's head is opposite the letters ES in STATES. Warmly toned in dominant sandy-gray, the peripheries exhibit gold and blue undertones to halos of steely-russet patina. Frosty qualities mingle with semi-reflective tendencies, typical of the issue (these are not true Proofs, but "Special Strikes" as defined by John W. Dannreuther). A bit subdued overall, as befits the assigned grade, with scattered handling marks that include a dull nick in the field below the eagle's breast and a gentle edge bump on the reverse outside the letters CA in AMERICA. Sharply struck with virtually full detail to allow ready appreciation of all aspects of this classic design type. Numismatic scholars recognize four different die alignments for Gobrecht dollars, designated as I (coin turn, eagle flying upwards), II (medal turn, eagle flying upwards), III (coin turn, eagle flying level with respect to obverse), and IV (medal turn, eagle flying level with respect to obverse). When Walter Breen wrote his Complete Encyclopedia in 1988, he considered Die Alignment I examples of the Judd-60 Name on Base issue to be originals from 1836 and Die Alignment II pieces from a mintage of 600 pieces delivered in March of 1837. He regarded Die Alignment III and IV pieces as restrikes. This view had been challenged by the early 1990s, when it was found that many Die Alignment IV pieces evinced signs of circulation, suggesting that they had been made for that purpose rather than to accommodate coin collectors. Modern research by Craig Sholley, John Dannreuther, and Saul Teichman (based on an exhaustive examination of die state evidence), reported that the die alignment sequence of Judd-60 Gobrecht dollars is actually I-IV-II-IV-I-IV. All examples in these alignments are originals attributed to the December 1836 issue of 1,000 coins; the 600 pieces struck in March 1837 represent a test striking, and all were subsequently melted. Die alignment III pieces are still regarded as restrikes coined decades later than 1836. Pollock in his United States Patterns and Related Issues considered Die Alignment II and III pieces as the scarcest alignment varieties, followed by IV. He regarded Die Alignment I pieces to be the most readily available. Provenance: From the Julius Korein Collection, sold to benefit the American Numismatic Society. PCGS# 11224. NGC ID: BLWV. Click here for certification details from NGC. Click here to see Coins in Motion.

Estimate:$1

View all items fromStack's BowersorCoins & Banknotes