1799 Silver Dollar S$1 (BB-164, B-17, R-2) PCGS MS62. Offered here is the perfect draped bust dollar for an advanced type set, or for an advanced mint state collection of early dollars. It is also a coin which will attract a lot of interest from non-numismatists. Any 18th century coin struck by the United States is rare in uncirculated condition. The larger denominations, such as the silver dollar are usually considered to be especially hard to find, as many were exported to Europe and the Far East, and subsequently melted for their Silver content. Add to that the popularity of these early American coin and we see why this coin is not only hard to find, but also hard to replace with a different piece of the same date.

An estimated 423,515 Silver Dollars dated 1799 were struck, a huge number for the period, especially for the early US Mint in Philadelphia. At the time, the Mint still had trouble with die life, and a large number of die combinations were needed to turn out an adequate supply of the largest silver denomination. In case of the 1799 silver dollar, eleven obverses and sixteen reverses were used, creating 22 individual varieties in various die states. Some specialists have persuaded completion of the early dollar series by die variety and die state. However, that task is extremely difficult and nearly impossible to complete, with only a few collectors coming within reach of completion.

The coin we presently offer is an example of the Bowers-Bolender 164 die combination, one of the more available of the year but still hard to find in uncirculated condition. It is one of the die combinations which used the so-called “reverse of 1800”, although this is not much noted except by specialists of the series. This reverse is identified by a slightly larger motto on the reverse (E PLURIBUS UNUM on the scroll) than the reverse used on other varieties. Other diagnostics of this particular variety include a 7X6 arrangement of the obverse stars (others had the stars arranged 8X5), small obverse stars (most noticeable on the lower stars) and five berries on the olive branch on the right reverse.

Truly uncirculated, this coin has original, subdued luster on both sides. Lovely pastel toning, appreciated by many collectors is visible on both sides, a bit more prominent on the obverse. A few minor marks are noted in the fields, but none of these are major enough to be individually mentioned. For the variety, the coin is fairly well struck as many other examples are known with weak strikes, another indication of the difficulty the early US Mint had at the time. Increasingly popular and getting more difficult to find in such high grade, this is a great coin and certainly a good investment.