A Listing of Every Known Specimen of the 1804 Dollar

There are three known Classes of 1804 dollars:

Class I: Known as Originals ~ Eight specimens known.

Class II: Known as Restrike ~ Only example one is known, plain edge.

Class III: Known as Restrikes ~ Six specimens known.

Class I

1. The U.S. Mint Specimen

This dollar was retained by the U.S. Mint as part of the U.S. Mint Collection of coins. It is now part of the National Coin Collection held by the Smithsonian Institution.

2. The Stickney Specimen

This is the only 1804 Dollar to have left the Mint, as all have with the exception of the above mentioned coin, that is pedigreed right back to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The existence of silver dollars dated "1804" first became known to coin collectors in the book published in 1842, A Manual of Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations, Struck Within the Past Century. On May 9th, 1843, Matthew Adams Stickney, a famous collector from Salem, Massachusetts, visited the Mint and traded a one-of-a-kind gold coin for this dollar.

3. The Cohen Specimen

This specimen was reported to have been received over the counter at the exchange office of Edward Cohen in Richmond, Virginia in 1865. It shows circulation wear, grading Very Fine. It was once held in the collection of Willis H. duPont, which was stolen in October, 1967. Recovered in April, 1993, the coin has been donated to the American Numismatic Association, and is currently on display at the ANA Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

4. The Mickley Specimen

Joseph J. Mickley was an early collector along with Matthew A. Stickney. He reportedly obtained this dollar from the Bank of Pennsylvania, where it was to have been received over the counter at face value by a teller in about 1850.

5. The Parmelee Specimen

An unknown lady supposedly purchased this specimen from the U.S. Mint for face value during the administration of President James K. Polk, 1845-1849. It was held in the Lorin G. Parmelee collection from 1874-1890. Byron Reed of Omaha, Nebraska purchased in from the Parmelee Collection sale in 1890. It was held in the Omaha Public Library collection from 1891 until the 1980's when it was transferred to the Western Heritage Museum of Omaha.

6. The Dexter Specimen

The "Dexter Dollar" is named after James Vila Dexter of Denver, Colorado who purchased the coin from the Chapman Collection sale in 1885. This coin's fame stems from a landmark lawsuit filed in 1886 in Philadelphia to prove its authenticity. The suit was settled by U.S. Mint officials giving Dexter "Certificates of Genuineness" stating the coin is a genuine silver dollar made at the U.S. Mint. Dexter's dollar and settlement were celebrated by the creation of a beautiful work of art in 1887.

7. The Watters Specimen

This coin is named after C.A. Watters of Liverpool, England. It was sold with the collection of the Watters estate in 1917 in England, which included proof coins of 1834. It is believed to be from the Imaum of Muscat 1834 proof set, which is similar to the Siam set mentioned below.

8. The King of Siam Specimen

This 1804 Dollar is part of a set of 1834 proof coins created as a diplomatic gift for the King of Siam, authorized in 1834. These diplomatic gifts were the reason 1804 dollars were created, 1804 being the last year silver dollars were struck prior to 1834, according to Mint records. Unknown to the minters, those silver dollars struck in 1804 were actually dated 1803, as the old dies were reused early in 1804.

Class II

9. The U.S. Mint Specimen

This coin, struck in about 1858 over a Swiss Shooting Thaler dated 1857, is part of the National Coin Collection held by the Smithsonian Institution. It is thought to have been part of the Mint collection from the time of its striking. Five dollars are believed to have been struck, three were melted, leaving one unaccounted for, so this is the only Class II 1804 Dollar known to exist. This coin was made using the same reverse die as used for the Class III dollars, which is a different die than used for the Class I dollars. It differs from the Class III dollars in that no lettering was put on the edge. It has a plain edge.

Class III

10. The Berg Specimen

11. The Adams Specimen

12. The Davis Specimen

13. The Linderman Specimen

14. The Rosenthal Specimen

15. The Idler Specimen

Pedigree information is from the book, The Fantastic 1804 Dollar, 1962, by Eric P. Newman and Kenneth E. Bressett, and the book, Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States A Complete Encyclopedia, 1993, by Q. David Bowers