Owner Comments:
1798 Draped Bust Dollar: PCGS Fine Details – Cleaned Variety BB-116
This 1798 Fine Details coin has pleasant eye appeal with a nice light gray patina along with a reasonable strike for its grade. Although not a perfect coin, it was the first Early Dollar that I acquired for my collection. It was a big jump for me to spend a large sum of money on a coin. I think the coin is aesthetically pleasing, so it has a special place in my heart as it helped lead me to understand and acquire many better graded coins over time. Based on the market value of a straight grade coin, this affordable specimen fits well with my Early Dollar collection approach.
This 1798 specimen is the BB-116 variety based on Q. David Bowers’ reference book “The Encyclopedia of UNITED STATES SILVER DOLLARS 1794 to 1804”.
David Bowers’ estimates that the mintage of the 1798 is approximately ~200,000 with a survival rate of roughly 7,000 to 14,000 coins for all varieties. The BB-116 has an estimated survival rate of roughly 150 to 250 coins. When analyzing NGC and PCGS census reports each firm combined has graded about ~5,600 total coins, which supports Bowers low end estimate for total population.
*Sources for commentary: NGC and PCGS census reports and Q. David Bowers’ reference book “The Encyclopedia of UNITED STATES SILVER DOLLARS 1794 to 1804”.