Bill Jones' Type Set
S$1 GOBRECHT 1836-39


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Origin/Country: United States
Design Description: SILVER DOLLARS - GOBRECHT, ALL METALS
Item Description: $1 1836 SILVER GOBRECHT J-60 DIE ALIGNMENT I
Grade: PCGS PF 62
Owner: BillJones
 
Winning Set: Bill Jones' Type Set
Date Added: 11/17/2007
Research: See NGC's Census Report for this Coin

Owner's Description

In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson suspended the coinage of silver dollars because those large coins were facilitating the export of too much silver from the fledgling United States economy. For more than 30 years, the United States government would not issue a one dollar piece in any form. Finally in 1831 the ban on striking silver dollars was lifted, but actual coinage would not begin until 1836. <br /><br />Outgoing mint director, Samuel Moore, had a strong interest in improving the appearance of all U.S. coinage. The Capped Bust designs, which were inspired by the work of John Reich almost 30 years before, had become dowdy looking. The incoming mint director, Robert M. Patterson, shared Moore’s interest in developing a fresh coin design. To that end Patterson hired artists Titian Peale and John Sully draw or paint some conceptual designs. Their guidelines were to conceive of a seated figure similar to that found on British coinage and a more realistic rendition of the American eagle. <br /><br />Moore and Patterson also pushed for the hiring of Christian Gobrecht, a skilled bank note engraver, to engrave coinage dies for mint’s operations. The need to hire Gobrecht became imperative when chief mint engraver, William Kneass, suffered a debilitating stroke. Gobrecht was hired, and the new chief engraver began by drawing a conceptual seated liberty design of his own and transferred the idea to coinage dies. <br /><br />Gobrecht first obverse die featured his signature “Gobrecht f.” (For Gobrecht made it) below the base of the seated liberty figure. After the artist’s signature was judged as too bold, he moved to the base of the figure. Ultimately the “on base” variety would be used for the coins that would reach general circulation. The reverse of Gobrecht’s dollar featured a magnificent flying eagle soaring in a sky of 26 stars (one for each state that was then in the union.)<br /><br />In December the mint produced 1,000 of these beautiful coins as Proofs. In March of 1837 an additional 600 pieces were made. These coins can be distinguished by the relationship between the obverse and reverse dies. The 1836 coins feature a “coin turn,” which means that obverse and reverse are properly aligned when the coin is turned on its horizontal axis. The 1837 coin have a “medal turn,” where the obverse and reverse are properly aligned when the coin is turned on its vertical axis. Later, in the 1850s, the mint issued restrikes of these coins to supply collector demand. <br /><br />The coin shown here is one of the original pieces that was stuck in December 1836. It is an original piece that has never been dipped with a few minor hairlines and minor toning, which account for the Proof-62 grade.

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