Gobrecht Dollar
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The Gobrecht Dollar was an American dollar coin that was minted in small quantities from 1836 to 1839. It is named for its designer, U.S. Mint engraver Christian Gobrecht.
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[edit] Basic design
[edit] Obverse
The obverse design of the Gobrecht dollar is virtually identical to that of the Seated Liberty coinage that was introduced starting in 1837. As on the other Seated Liberty coins, the main motif was a figure of the goddess Liberty clad in a flowing dress and seated upon a rock. The left hand bore a pole topped with a liberty cap, a symbol of freedom. The right hand held a shield inscribed with the word "LIBERTY". Early versions of the Gobrecht dollar contained a small banner reading "C. GOBRECHT F." below the figure. This credit, however, was considered to be too prominent, and does not appear in later revisions or in the other forms of Seated Liberty coinage. The coin's date is centered along the bottom edge.
[edit] Reverse
The reverse design features a bald eagle in flight, which closely resembles that later used on the obverse of the Flying Eagle cent. On some versions, the eagle is surrounded with a field of stars. The inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" appears in a semicircular arc above the eagle, and "ONE DOLLAR" below it.
[edit] History
The Gobrecht Dollar was a product of the suspension of silver dollar coinage being lifted in 1831 (see Bust Dollar for more information). The coin features the first incarnation of the seated liberty obverse which would become standard on all silver issues in 1839. The Gobrechts were subject to sparse and irregular minting. The 1836 circulated variety is the only solid mintage figure with a minting of 1600 coins. This makes the Gobrecht Dollar one of the most expensive dollar type coins in United States coinage. Since they have the same obverse, these coins are often paired with the Seated Liberty Dollar which preceded these. Restrikes of these coins were made into the 1870s to please collectors. These restrikes are also rare and sparsely minted coins. These restrikes tend to be worth more than the regular issue coins minted in 1836.
[edit] Mints
All coins were minted at:
- Blank (P - Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
[edit] References
- Yeoman, R.S. A Guide Book of United States Coins Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2004
- Edler, Joel and Harper, Dave U.S. Coin Digest Iola: Krause Publications, 2004
[edit] Resources
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Bust Dollar |
Dollar Coin of the United States 1836-1839 |
Succeeded by Seated Liberty Dollar |
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