1904 G$1 Lewis and Clark MS63 认证号02654822, PCGS号7447

The Louisiana Purchase from France in 1903 brought vast unexplored territory under United States control. President Jefferson ordered Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the upper valley of the Missouri River and beyond for a waterway to the Pacific Ocean. Allthough, they failed to find an all-water route to the Pacific, they did explore, with the help of the Shoshone guide, Sacagawea, the vast area of the Missouri and Columbia River Basins. After two years of exploration and 8,500 miles, they returned to St. Louis on March 23, 1806. The Lewis and Clark Exposition was held in 1905 in Portland, Oregon to commemorate the centennial of the Corps of Discovery Expedition. For the expostion the Philadelphia Mint issued two gold dollars dated 1904 and 1905. These gold dollars have the distiction of being the only two-headed coin minted by the United States Mint. On one side of the coin (the side dated 1904 or 1905) is a portrait of Meriwether Lewis and on the other is the portrait of William Clark. The two headed design of the coin also has lead to its scarcity in high grades. The coins are the rarest of all the commemorative gold dollars in high grades as both coins are prone to hairlining and scratching in the open fields of both sides. A few brilliant proofs were issued for both years and are very rare and should not be confused with prooflike business strikes. Both coins have been counterfeited extensively and before purchase should be authenticated by an expert or third party grading service.

Ron Guth

In 1905, Portland, Oregon hosted the Lewis and Exposition in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the exploration of the Louisiana Puchase by two interpid pioneers, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark.  In anticipation of the exposition, Congress authorized in 1904 the striking of up to 250,000 gold dollars to be sold to the public.  Not surprisingly, Farran Zerbe had a hand in this legislation, as he did with the gold dollars issued for the 1904 Louisiana Exposition.  Unfortunately, sales of the Lewis & Clark gold dollars were disappointing, and the majority of the coins struck were eventually melted.  The total number sold of the 1904 Lewis & Clark Gold Dollar is reported at 10,025 coins, a far cry from the 125,000 coins authorized. 

This issue is one of the rarest early gold commems, but sufficient numbers exist to satisfy collector demand.  Hundreds of them are available in grades ranging from MS62 to MS65.  Even MS66 examples are readily available, and only in MS67 does this coin become rare.  Quite a few of the 1904 Lewis & Clark Gold Dollars entered circulation, but no more so than any of the other gold commems.  Apparently, the prospects of big profits never materialized and many collectors simply spent their coins.