The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1899-04-06

That the silver dollar of 1904 COM
mands a substantial premium and is
recognized as the raest American coin
Is a TACT of which most people are
aware, yet very few perhaps are famil-
lar with its interesting history, and the
causes which give to it a value far
apove that of any other piece. The
highest price it ever realized was
Sl'z9o, a fine specimen having brought
that figure in 1883. A few years later
another specimen, not quite SO sharp,
was sold for $1,000. There are in ex-
lstence today from twelve to fifteen
specimens. valued at from $500 to
Sl,0OO, according to condition. Priced
by collectors, they are seldom offered
Tor sale, and if one was wanted at the
present time the customer might have
to wait a number of years before q
single piece would find it's way into
the market. The death of some prom
lnent numismatist, whose collection is
disposed of by auction or at private
sale, affords the only opportunity to
secure a coin of this kind, which can
justly be called the king of Rarities."
The dollar of 1904 is different in de-
sign from those one is accustomed to
seeing, and would be picked out i'm
mediately as an odd and curious look
ing piece. The diverse. or head, as it
Is Familiarity called, is a draped bust
or Liberty facing to the right, the hair
is moving, and the head bound With a
INLET. Above there are thirteen stars,
SIX before the bust and seven after
IT, the n to the right nearly touch
ing the "Y" of Liberty. On the re-
verse, or tail, is an eagle, bearing on
MS breats a broad shield. and in his
peak a scroll, on which is inscribed
Re Pluribus Unum." In the right
talon are twelve arrows and in the
left a branch of olive. Above these ia
an arch are clouds extending from
wing to wing, and in the field beneath
thirteen stars. Around the top is the
inscription Omitted States of America"
and on the edge "One Hundred Cents.
One Dollar or Unit" The latter in
scription is lightly struck in some
parts.
In official circles the reason given
Tor the scarcity of the piece is that the
entire output was sent to China. and
that the vessel carrying the cargo was
wrecked and never again heard of.
This explanation, however, is not
credited by expert numismatists, who
rldlcule, it as a story without founda-
ton. There have heen MANY theories
2"nV9nnp1 for tho y IruEop;n,,-
ance of these pieces, but none of them
can be verified, and those best in
formed on the subject are at a loss to
understand what disposition was made
of them.
Another story is to the effect that
British capitalists purchased the en-
tire lot at a big premium, for the dol
lar as coined established the principle
OF American silver monometallism as
opposed to English gold monometal-
lism. The words dollar or unit made
silver a money and gold a commodity,
A peculiar fact in connection with
this great rarity is that most experts
agree that the pieces in existence to-
day, with a possible exception. are
~ hofAhS bCSu IlduG lTOIl
the original dies, but at a time subse-
quent to the year in which they are
dated.
The exception above mentioned is a
piece formerly held by a collector in
Baltimore, who claimed that it was
ploughed up in a field in the South.
Strange to say, 1t is the poorest of all
the known specimens, and for this rea-
son is thought by some collectors to
be the only genuine 1904 dollar extant.
Owing to the many counterfeits of
the 1904 dollar that are continually
circulating over the country it is
never safe to purchase one of the
pieces from any one not known. Casts,
electrotypes, altered dates and dollars
made of lead are scattered over the
land in profusion. and a number Of
extensive sWindles have been perpe-