1776 Continental "Dollar," $1 CURENCY spelling, Pewter, ...

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Sold on Aug 18, 2004 for:

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Important Mint State 1776 Continental Currency "Dollar"

1776 Continental "Dollar," $1 CURENCY spelling, Pewter, MS61 PCGS. Breen-1089, Crosby Pl. VIII, Newman 1-C. Today, we consider the obverse of this design to include the date and sundial with the reverse containing the 13 interlinked rings bearing the state names. In 1875, however, Sylvester S. Crosby considered the obverse and reverse to be exactly opposite. The design of these coins was taken from a similar motif appearing on Colonial Currency notes, prompting the "dollar" description for these coins; however, also suggesting that they may have been a fiat coinage that was intended only as a substitute for paper money, and never intended to have any intrinsic value. These coins are therefore often collected by those who specialize in silver dollars, and most collectors have waited a very long time for just the right example. The Continental Currency coinage is also important from an historical standpoint, bearing the 1776 date of our nation's founding.
This is a remarkable Mint State example of the pewter Continental Currency coinage with the misspelling CURENCY. The surfaces are light gray with considerable prooflike finish. A few very minor blemishes are visible on each side; however, the overall aesthetic appeal of this example is quite high. On the obverse, the sun is weakly defined while the opposing portion of the reverse design is similarly weak. Although a few examples are known in brass, copper, and silver, nearly all Continental Currency coins are of tin composition, although they are almost always incorrectly called pewter (indeed, our own header describes this as pewter, due to numismatic tradition and to avoid confusion). Listed on page 33 of the 2004 Guide Book.
From The Karl Scheible Collection.(#98100)

Coin Index Numbers: (PCGS# 98100)

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