The King Of Rare Coins - A History Of The 1804 Silver Dollar According To Us Gold Bureau Sources

By Author: Samantha Collander
Total Articles: 11
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The 1804 silver dollar, also known as the King of Rare Coins, has an unusual history to begin with. In fact, according to the US Gold Bureau, there are only 15 of these coins ever made although more than 19,000 coins were minted during 1804. The first eight of these rare silver dollar coins were made in 1834, 30 years after they were supposed to have been minted. The reason behind this is that the US Mint did not use dies that reflected the year 1804, and they continued using the 1803 dies even though the coins were supposed to have been marked as 1804.

This discrepancy was discovered when the Department of State ordered the minting of several sets of coins that were presented to various heads of state and diplomats. During that time, all the coins ever minted were in circulation except two - the $10 gold coin and the 1804 silver dollar. Based on the information gathered by the United States Gold Bureau, the US Mint was instructed to strike the coins to complete the presentation sets, and so the dies for the 1804 silver dollar were only ever made in 1834.

One of the 1804 silver dollars made during the first striking ...
... was given to the King of Siam as a sign of goodwill and diplomacy between the US and Siam. Strange as it may seem, it is mentioned that the coin presented to Siam as a gift was handed over to Anna Leonowens, the heroine in the movie the King and I, as a gift from the king himself for her service as teacher to his wives and children. According to information from the US Gold Bureau, the silver dollar coin was kept by Anna's family until the 1950s before being sold by her descendants. This coin, according to United States Gold Bureau sources, became part of the Smithsonian's King of Siam coin collection exhibit in 1983 and was later sold to a private collector who paid over $900,000,000 dollars for the whole rare coin collection.

To date, there are two known 1804 silver dollar coins that the public can view and appreciate. One of them is displayed in the Smithsonian, while another is displayed in the museum of the American Numismatic Association. A total of 15 1804 silver dollars were made by the US Mint, and it is said the aside from the first eight or what are known as Class I 1804 silver dollars, seven more were made after the first striking by US Mint officials, albeit in a clandestine manner. Two of these are considered as Class II, and five are considered as Class III. Based from information gathered by the U.S. Gold Bureau, all the seven coins were minted between 1858 and 1860 and have been sold to various private coin collectors worldwide.

The 1804 silver dollar, most especially those specified as Class I, can fetch millions and millions of dollars in the market because of its rarity, according to experts in the U.S. Gold Bureau. However, there are replicas and counterfeits that have been made to satisfy many coin collectors who want to have an 1804 silver dollar in their collection for more affordable prices. For the most part however, the original coins are kept private and undisclosed by their owners.

Having been a numismatist for years, John has studied the history of some of rarest coins ever minted. Visit for http://www.prweb.com/ more information.He regularly contributes to the US Gold Bureau and volunteers valuable information for those who wish to start their own private coin collection or investment.