Gobrecht Silver Dollar

Legendary 1836 Name Below Base Gobrecht Dollar

Die Alignment IV, DTS Die State A Struck Circa 1858 to 1860

1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Name Below Base. Judd-58 Restrike, Pollock-61. Rarity-6-. DTS Die State A. Silver. Plain Edge. Die Alignment IV. Proof-64+ (PCGS). CAC.

Premium Choice Mint State quality for this fabled variety in the challenging Gobrecht dollar series. Both sides are attractively and originally toned, although the angle of light incidence will determine the nature of the toning observed. At indirect angles the surfaces exhibit an even overlay of warm sandy-silver patina. When the coin dips into a light, however, the viewer is greeted by intensely vivid iridescent toning in reddish-apricot with enhancing blushes of pale lilac and powder blue around the peripheries. The finish in universally reflective, and the strike is full apart from a touch of trivial softness to the top of Liberty's head. Expertly produced, carefully preserved, and temptingly close to full Gem Proof quality, this is a breathtaking example of a rare and coveted type that is eagerly awaiting inclusion in a world class cabinet. The origin myth that Philadelphia dealer Ed Cogan recounted in the pages of the American Journal of Numismatics, suggesting that this was the original Gobrecht dollar design, stuck with this issue for more than a century. The real story is very nearly the opposite, as modern research has shown the obverse of this popular rarity to be the last of the Gobrecht dies created. It likely was sunk about 1858, using the central device punch from Judd-60, the Name on Base type, from which Gobrecht's name was eventually effaced. The name was placed in the field below the central design to create this new Name Below Base variety, tailor-made for contemporary collectors. After Ed Cogan wrote about this type, word spread that just 18 specimens were struck, and dollar specialists have considered this a prime rarity ever since. The Die Alignment IV and DTS Die State A attributions confirm this specimen as one of the first Judd-58 Gobrecht dollars produced, circa 1858 to 1860. DTS Die State B coins in Die Alignment IV also date to this period. Die Alignment III coins in DTS Die State C date to the second striking period for this type, circa 1859 to 1864, while additional Die Alignment III examples in DTS Die States D and E were made in 1869. All were made during an era when demand for rare patterns, restrikes and related coins reached a fever pitch and the executives of the United States Mint were happy to create a supply. The numbers distributed, however, were almost certainly limited as this was essentially a made-to-order delicacy for collectors. Today, the Name Below Base Gobrecht dollar continues to intrigue numismatists, the beauty of the design, its mythical origin and the rarity of specimens all combining to create a must-have coin for the advanced collector. With examples usually appearing on the open market only once in a long while, the significance of this offering can hardly be overstated.

PCGS# 11217.

PCGS Population: 1; 3 finer (Proof-65+ finest).

From Heritage's sale of the William Jacob Collection, Part II, April 2013 CSNS Signature Auction, lot 4321; Heritage's Rosemont Signature Auction of August 2013, lot 5700; Legend's Regency Auction XVI, February 2016, lot 1; TradeDollarNut Collection. The plate coin for DTS Die State A on the website gobrechtdollars.com by John Dannreuther, Saul Teichman and Craig Sholley.

Estimate: $ 125000