1839 $1 Gobrecht, Original PR58 认证号04271917, PCGS号11444

Top: PR58, Bot: PR45; 1839 PS$1 Name Omitted, Judd-104 Original, Pollock-116, R.3 Silver. Reeded Edge. Die Alignment IV, "original" issue of 1839. Mostly untoned. A bright and gleaming specimen whose mirrored luster seems poised to detonate like a Fourth of July skyrocket; and there is a touch of faint friction on the high points accounting for the conservative grade. More than adequately struck for the Type, these tend to show razor-sharpness on the shield, on Liberty's gown and hair, as well as on the eagle's body. A representative example of Gobrecht's artistic silver dollar masterpiece. As of April 2009, out of a PCGS population of only 18, these are two of just six 1939 proof silver dollars that PCGS has judged to be both original and "impaired" (i.e., circulated) proofs. The head of Liberty is nearly opposite the F in OF, and therefore is in Die Alignment IV orientation. A full figure of Liberty, with shield and Phrygian (“Liberty”) cap on a pole, is the main design element on the obverse. The 26 stars that had been placed on the reverse of the 1836 dollars have now been removed, and 13 stars are now seen around the figure of Liberty on the obverse. A majestic flying eagle (symbolizing the United States) adorns the reverse surrounded by the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the denomination: ONE DOLLAR. All of the 1839 dollars made in 1839 are thought to have been deposited into the US banking system. Therefore, by default, the Gobrecht dollars issued in 1839 are regular issued coins (even though they were struck in proof format). All Gobrecht dollars are assigned Judd numbers, suggesting that these coins are patterns. But this conclusion is not correct. In fact, the Gobrecht dollars made in 1836, 1837, and 1839 are regular issued coins, and therefore are not patterns. Nevertheless, for historical reasons, it appears that these coins will continue to be incorrectly identified as patterns. The only real Gobrecht dollar pattern coins are the Judd-58 (name below base) and the J-84 (1838 dollar). Gobrecht dollars represent a short, 3-year series, with two different "types" of coins. The first type consists of the issue of 1836 with the no-star obverse design, and the second type includes the 1838 and 1839 dollars with obverse stars but no reverse stars. Another interesting observation is that Gobrecht dollars are the only Proof coins intentionally made for general distribution. Gobrecht dollars are one of the most fascinating and yet confusing series of silver dollars ever made by the US Mint.

Ron Guth

1839 saw the third consecutive year of issuance of the so-called Gobrecht Dollar.  Alas, it was also to be the last year for this majestic coin, for in 1840, the "flying eagle" reverse would be replaced with a more conservative eagle adapted from the gold coins of earlier years.

Surprising, isn't it, that the two foundations of our nation's monetary system - the Silver Dollar and the Eagle ($10) - were absent from the numismatic scene for over three decades, neither to re-appear again until the late 1830s.

Sources and/or recommended reading:
"Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins" by Walter Breen

"United States Patterns and Related Issues" by Andrew W. Pollock III