What are the 100 Greatest U

“America’s Gobrecht Dollar. A Complex and Mysterious Issue. Part 1 Background”; Robert A.
Izydore, North Carolina Numismatic Association (NCNA) Journal, Vol. 32, Number 3, 4, Spring,
2006.

   Gobrecht dollars have been appreciated and coveted by numismatists since they were first
produced. Not only do the coins have great historical significance, but they are artistically
attractive and rare, a very desirable combination. They are historic because they were the first
dollar coins minted by the United States after an absence of 33 years. They were the forerunner
of the Liberty Seated design which was to dominate our nation’s silver coinage for 55 years. The
Seated Liberty and flying eagle designs that appear on these coins are truly magnificent and have
been admired by many. The mintage of the Gobrecht dollars was very low. Population reports
published by the major grading services show that their rarity is comparable to that of the 1796
quarter dollar. One date is comparable to that of the 1794 silver dollar. Although they are
expensive, they are priced favorably relative to these two rarities. Therefore, they have good
investment potential. The popularity of these coins is demonstrated by the large number of
replicas and related medals that are offered in the marketplace. A search of eBay on any given
day will show a number of these items offered for sale. Despite their fame and popularity there is a
great deal of mystery surrounding these coins. The total issue of Gobrecht dollars is very complex,
and there are conflicting viewpoints concerning the origin and status of these remarkable coins. In
this series of articles an overview of the Gobrecht dollar issues as well as a discussion of the
theories currently surrounding them will be presented.

   Gobrecht dollars were first struck at the Philadelphia mint in 1836. They were the first
authorized dollar coins minted in the United States since 1803. Considered to be patterns for
many years, it is now known that most were struck as regular mint issues and released into
circulation. The coins are named after Christian Gobrecht who was employed at the time as
Second Engraver at the U. S. Mint. Gobrecht whose name appears on the 1836 dated coins is
generally given credit for the design, but he was assisted by Philadelphia artists Thomas Sully and
Titan Peale. Mint Director Robert Maskell Patterson had hired these artists to make sketches for
the obverse and reverse designs in 1836. Patterson had directed the artists to design a seated
Liberty figure for the obverse patterned after Britain’s seated Britannia and a flying eagle true to
nature for the reverse. In fact Chief Engraver William Kneass had made a crude sketch of a
seated Liberty figure in 1835. Gobrecht’s obverse design of Liberty seated on a rock and looking
over her right shoulder was modeled after sketches and a painting made by Sully, but there were
distinct differences. Peale also made sketches of a seated Liberty figure, but they differ greatly
from the adopted design. The reverse design which features an impressive flying eagle is said to
be modeled after ‘Peter’, an eagle that had resided at the Philadelphia mint for six years. Peter
met an untimely death at the mint after getting caught on a flywheel and suffering irreparable
damage to one of its wings. The eagle was stuffed and put on display there. Some credit Titan
Peale for the reverse design. He made over 30 sketches of an eagle for the reverse, but none
were actually used on the dollar. Instead Peale’s eagle appears on 1838 (J-73, J-74, J-79-J-81)
pattern half dollars. It appears that credit for the reverse design belongs to Christian Gobrecht.
Many of the sketches made by Sully, Peale and Gobrecht are housed in the Smithsonian
Institution. A number of sketches were acquired from the Gobrecht estate in 1965 after nine years
of negotiations. A detailed description and analysis of the sketches was published in 1991 by
Elvira Clain-Stefanelli in the “American Numismatic Association Anthology” Curiously one of the
editors of Coin World suggested in the March 29, 2004 issue that the long-used name “Gobrecht
dollar” unfairly ignores the contributions made by others to the coin’s design. It was proposed that
“Seated Liberty, Flying Eagle dollar” would be a more suitable name. The present writer wrote a
rebuttal to the proposed name change which appeared in the May 31, 2004 issue of the
publication. The illogical nature of the proposal as well as some significant inaccuracies that
accompanied it was pointed out. Fortunately no support for the name change seems to have
developed.

   Christian Gobrecht was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania on February 23rd, 1785. Beginning in
1810 he was an engraver of clock faces and metal plates of portraits, illustrations and banknotes.
He was also an inventor. He invented a linear medal-ruling machine (1810), a speaking doll
(1820s) and a camera projector (1820s). In the 1820s he made letter punches and engraved dies
for medals for the U.S. Mint. Eleven U.S. mint medals engraved by Gobrecht are listed in Robert
W. Julian’s book on U.S. mint medals. On September 18, 1835 he was appointed Second
Engraver at the U.S. Mint. William Kneass who had served as Chief Engraver since January 29,
1824 became debilitated by a stroke in June, 1835, but he remained in his position until his death
on August 27, 1840. Gobrecht assumed the position of Chief Engraver on December 21, 1840.
Immediately upon commencing his duties at the mint, Gobrecht began work on a new dollar coin.
Subsequently he redesigned all of the silver, gold and copper issues. Gobrecht died in service on
July 23, 1844. Funeral services were held at his home at 220 Walnut St. in Philadelphia.
Gobrecht is the most prominent of the early engravers of the U.S. mint. Like his famous coin there
have been many medals struck to honor him. Perhaps the most significant is a series of medals
issued by the Hanover Numismatic Society of Hanover, Pennsylvania from 1966 to 1981. The
medals were struck in silver and bronze. All have the bust of Gobrecht, Hanover 1785-1844, and
the date of issue on the obverse. The reverses illustrated the works of Gobrecht including his
famous dollar and many of the U.S. mint medals that he engraved.

   Gobrecht dollars are dated 1836, 1838, and 1839. The obverse of the 1836 dollars features the
seated Liberty figure and no stars around the border. Gobrecht’s name designated as C Gobrecht
F appears either on or below the base of the rock. The reverse shows an eagle flying in a field of
13 large stars and 13 small stars. The 13 large stars represent the 13 original states, and the 13
small stars represent the 13 states that were subsequently added to the Union. In actuality there
were only 25 states in the Union in 1836, but the admission of Michigan (admitted in March, 1837)
was considered imminent. The dollars dated 1838 and 1839 have thirteen stars arranged around
the obverse border and no stars on the reverse. Gobrecht’s name does not appear on the coins.
The coins dated 1836 have a plain edge, and the coins dated 1838 and 1839 have a reeded
edge. All three dates were struck as proofs and have a higher relief than the Liberty Seated
dollars that followed beginning in 1840. The letters in LIBERTY on the obverse shield are raised
and not incuse. In Q. David Bowers’ book on silver dollars (1993) Robert Julian contributed an
historical background on the Gobrecht dollar in which he stated that because of a mechanical
problem, the 1836 dollars were not struck on the mint’s new steam press which went into service
that year. However, no documentation for this claim was presented. It has also been written that
the original steam press was suited only for silver coins having a smaller diameter than the dollar.
Mint Director Robert Patterson had instructed that the new dollar coins be struck with reeded
edges. This would have required the use of the steam press. In the absence of further
documented evidence as well as the fact that the 1836 dated dollars were struck with plain edges,
the most logical conclusion is that the mint’s old screw press rather than the new steam press was
used.

   In addition to the Gobrecht dollars struck as originals, there are a number of restrikes and
fantasy pieces known which were clandestinely struck at the mint from about 1858 to the 1870s.
These were struck by mint employees for sale to collectors. The mint employees, who Walter
Breen called the midnight minters, personally profited from the proceeds. This activity began
under the mint directorship of James Ross Snowden. It continued under the directorships of
James Pollock, William Millward and Henry R. Linderman. This period covers the years 1853-
1878. Much has been written by Breen, Taxay, Bowers, and others about these illegal activities,
and this matter will not be discussed in detail herein. The fantasy pieces were struck both in silver
and in copper. Pieces dated 1836 without stars on the reverse, 1838 and 1839 without stars on
the obverse, 1836 with reeded edges, and other combinations were produced. These pieces are
quite rare and sell for very high prices in the market place despite their unauthorized status. Some
proclaim them as numismatic delicacies and state that it is fortunate for collectors that they were
produced. The fact that they were illegally produced in an underground operation at the mint and
are possibly subject to confiscation by the government does not seem to matter when large sums
of money is involved and profits are to be made.

Die Alignments of Gobrecht Dollars
   Gobrecht dollars exist in four die alignments as follows.
Die alignment I (DA-I): These coins show a coin turn. The eagle flies onward and upward when
the coin in normal orientation is rotated along a horizontal axis. The head of Miss Liberty is
opposite the O of DOLLAR on the reverse.
Die alignment II (DA-II): These coins show a medal turn. The eagle flies onward and upward when
the coin in normal orientation is rotated along a vertical axis. The head of Miss Liberty is opposite
the E of STATES on the reverse.
Die alignment III (DA-III): These coins show a coin turn. The eagle flies horizontal when the coin in
normal orientation is rotated along a horizontal axis. The head of Miss Liberty is opposite the N of
ONE on the reverse.
Die alignment IV (DA-IV): These coins show a medal turn. The eagle flies horizontal when the
coin in normal orientation is rotated along a vertical axis. The head of Miss Liberty is opposite the
space between the F of OF and the first A of AMERICA on the reverse.

                                                                                                     Part 2 appears in the next issue.