A Famous 1804 Dollar Alteration

If you ever have the opportunity to purchase a silver dollar dated "1804" that you think is the real thing, struck at the U.S. Mint, get it checked out by qualified individuals before spending big money. Very convincing counterfeits and alterations have been made over the years. An excellent resource is the American Numismatic Association Authentication Bureau, 818 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279. Phone: 719-632-2646.

The story of one example of a convincing alteration is given here, we call it "The Granberg Specimen." A silver dollar dated "1804" turned up in 1906, in the days when little was known about these coins. It was purchased by H.O. Granberg of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, who at the time built one of America's greatest coin collections. In 1908 he also purchased The Idler Specimen, one of today's fifteen "recognized" 1804 silver dollars. Later, in 1911, Mr. Granberg became Chairman of the American Numismatic Association.

Early in 1906 H.O. Granberg was offered a silver dollar dated "1804" by Carl Strout of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Spokane, Washington. Before purchasing the coin Granberg had to be convinced it was genuine. The coin was sent from Pinkerton's Spokane office to H.W. Bearce, General Superintendent of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Philadelphia, with instructions to have it tested at the U.S. Mint.

Pinkerton employee, Charles F. Dahlen, took the dollar to the U.S. Mint on May 3rd, 1906, and later wrote a report of his findings, shown below. He saw the Curator of the Mint and was taken to the Chief Engraver, "who gave the dollar what he termed 'a severe test,' by heating the "4", and endeavored to pick and knock it off, but it remained fast."

In the words of Mr. Dahlan, "At the conclusion of the test, I asked the Chief Engraver if he now considered it a genuine 1804 dollar. He replied that the fact that it had stood the heating test 'was a great deal in its favor.' He refused to make a statement that it was genuine or that it was his opinion that it was genuine."

The Curator then examined this dollar. Again in the words of Mr. Dahlen, "He refused to state, verbally or in writing, whether or not it was genuine. He said that the fact of its having stood the heat test was a great deal in its favor; that if the owner tried to market the dollar he would probably find that the coin dealers would declare it not genuine on account of the border, thus [where he drew a picture of the border with long dentils extending into the field of the coin] as they (coin dealers) claim that the original 1804 dollars bear a border [he drew another picture showing small rounded dentils]."

       

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