Bill Jones' Eary Dollars
1796 SMALL DATE, LARGE LETTERS
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Coin Details
| Origin/Country: |
United States |
| Design Description: |
SILVER DOLLARS - DRAPED BUST |
| Item Description: |
$1 1796 SM DATE LG LETTERS BB-61,B-4 |
| Full Grade: |
NGC AU 50 |
| Owner: |
BillJones |
Owner Comments:
In fall of 1795 Robert Scott introduced his Draped Bust design on the silver dollar. His first die was noticeably off-center which was a defect he would subsequently correct. Unlike Scott’s previous visions of Ms. Liberty, the new national symbol had her hair coiffured in an orderly fashion with a bow neatly tied at the back of her head. This design would satisfy the critics and remain current until its last appearance on the half cent in 1808.
The reverse would continue to raise controversy. It featured a young, fledgling eagle emerging into the world, much like the young United States. Newspaper critics failed to note this symbolism and labeled it as a “sick turkey.” Scott would continue to use the Small Eagle design until midway though 1798 when he would borrow a motif from The Great Seal of the United States. At long last Scott’s critics would rest their case!
The present coin is a very sharp, lightly worn example of this scarce type which was issued for only about three years.