LOT #1363 |
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1900 $1 Lafayette Dollar--Cleaned and Retoned--ANACS. MS60 Details....
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Sold on Jul 31, 2009 for:
Not Sold Description
Unworn 1900 Lafayette Dollar
DuVall 4-E, One of Two Known
The Discovery Coin
1900 $1 Lafayette Dollar--Cleaned and Retoned--ANACS. MS60
Details. DuVall 4-E. One of only two known survivors from
either the obverse or reverse die. The Lafayette dollar is an
unusual commemorative issue, in that only the statue of Lafayette
and the conjoined busts of Washington and Lafayette were hubbed.
The obverse and reverse legends were entered into the various
working dies by hand, a process otherwise abandoned circa 1840.
Even more curiously, the branch at the base of the statue was also
hand-engraved into each working die.No one knows why the Mint failed to hub the entire design, but the reason was probably related to the Treasury's decision to coin all 50,000 pieces on a single day, December 14, 1899. This was the exact centennial of Washington's death. Perhaps production steps were skipped in order to make the Dec. 14 deadline.
In his 1993 reference "Commemorative Coins of the United States," Anthony Swiatek discussed the discovery of the Lafayette dollar varieties: "In 1925, George H. Clapp discovered a Lafayette dollar which differed from the piece described by Howland Wood. ... After a discussion with Mr. Clapp, Howland Wood examined several hundred Lafayette dollars. ... He concluded that three obverse and four reverse dies exist." Frank DuVall, Life Member #1 of the Society for U.S. Commemorative Coins, discovered an additional variety and published his find in the Fall 1988 issue of The Commemorative Trail.
The present lot is that variety, DuVall 4-E. The lowest leaf tip is between the star and the 1, further left than on the other four reverse dies. Numerous obverse letters are repunched, including the U in UNITED, the E in STATES, and the C in AMERICA. The CA in AMERICA is widely spaced.
Although 50,000 Lafayette dollars were struck, the Mint melted nearly 14,000 unsold pieces in 1945, nearly a half-century after they were struck. Perhaps the "great melt" accounts for the rarity of DuVall 4-E and the scarcity of DuVall 1-A and 3-D. DuVall 1-B is common, and DuVall 2-C is scarce only in relation to 1-B.
The present lot, the DuVall 4-E discovery coin, is satiny and well struck with dusky chestnut, aqua, and plum-mauve patina. Both sides are unusually free from marks, particularly on the portraits. ANACS has been perhaps unfairly strict, and bidders are encouraged to evaluate the lot in person to judge its true quality.
Auction Info
2009 August Los Angeles, CA US Coin Auction #1128 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
Jul-Aug, 2009
31st-2nd
Friday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 22
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 855
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
15% of the successful bid per lot.
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