1804 silver dollars, of which there are just fifteen known, often set price records for rare coins when they're sold. The 1804 Dollar known as the "Dexter Dollar" set a price record for a rare coin in 1989 when it sold for $990,000. That price was more recently eclipsed by the sale of another 1804 dollar, known as the "Stickney" specimen, which sold in April, 1997 for a world record price for a rare coin sold at auction at $1,815,000.
     These two coins and other 1804 dollars have often brought record-setting prices at auction since the mid-1800's. Many people are intrigued with the history of 1804 dollars and it's the ultimate coin for many collectors to own. This was just as true one hundred years ago as it is today.
     Mysteries surround the origin of these coins because they weren't struck at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia until late 1834 or early 1835. The Dexter 1804 Dollar has one of the most colorful histories of any of these silver dollars. James V. Dexter, who purchased his 1804 Dollar from S.H. and H. Chapman, Jr. in 1885, brought suit against the Chapmans the following year to prove its authenticity. The suit was settled the following year by delivering to Dexter affidavits signed by officials of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia stating his dollar is a genuine coin struck at the U.S. Mint.
     I'm looking for stories about Dexter's 1885 purchase of the coin, as well as the filing of the lawsuit in 1886 and the settlement of the suit in 1887, which appeared in numismatic periodicals and other public newspapers and magazines at that time. I welcome E-mails, phone calls, and letters to the addresses and numbers below if you have pertinent information for inclusion in a book about this coin. Thank you.