The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-25
SILVER COIN BRINGS $4,000
Ninety-nine Year Old Dollar Joins the
Collection of Seven.

A United States dollar, now in its
ninetyninth year, yesterday began the
long trip from Denver to Portland, Ore,
after having lain in a Denver collection
of coins for more than IS years. Though
the dollar is about the size of those
coined during the present year, and
contains about the same number of
grains of silver, it brought in the neigh
borhood of about $5.35 per grain of pure
silver in its combination, and all this
because it has been in the one form
for nearly 100 years.
The dollar is one of the coinage of
1904, of which there are only seven
known to be in existence 1t was bought
by the late ]. V. Dexter at the Chap
man sale of coins in 1885. At that time
the coin had been but lately secured
from a collection in Berlin, being the
only one of the dollars that is known
to have been in a foreign collection.
Mr.. Dexter paid $1,000 for the dollar,
having to bid against several other
collectors, the price being at that time
the largest that had ever been paid for
one of the coinage named. Since then
one of the other coins had been sold
for 81, 200, a record that held good until
yesterday, when H. G. Brown of Port
land Ore, paid $1,000 for the coin TO
r. G. Parvin, who succeeded to the
ownership of the Dexter collection. Mr..
Parvin did not willingly part with the
coin at that price, for he has held it
as the key piece of his numismatic col
lection.
About year ago the Republican printed
the story of the Parvin 1904 dollar, and il
was copied extensively throughout the
country. AS a result Mr.. Parvin has been
receiving letters ever since concerning his
collection of rare coins from all parts of
the country. A Chicago man tried to buy
the dollar Offering up to 1880, and failed.
Then a, man in St. Louis tried to secure
it for a collection to be exhibited at the
worlds fair During these negotiations
Mr. Parvin thought he had discovered tie
limit of bidding and that no man would
go over S1,5O0 in trying. to get the coin
put a price upon it he replied that ne
was not willing TO dispose of it, but had
set his price at &, 600. Mr.. Brown did not
wait for the slow process of the United
states mail but telegraphed to send on
the old dollar. Since then kilograms have
been coming at the rate of one a day.
antly placing the dollar in a candy box
and labelling it, there came another tel
egram to hurry up the dollar anyway,
and send it c. O. d. if there was no otEer
way So the dollar started west.
The scarcity of dollars of the 1904 vint-
age is explained by an accident at sea:
The larger part of the silver dollars of
that year were struck off to pay United
States soldiers and sailors doing duty in
Tripoli, North Africa, and were Shipped
to that place. The vessel that carried
heard from again, so the entire cargo is
supposed to be at rest somewhere upon
the floor of the Atlantic ocean. Just
seven copies of the dollar OF that year
Philadelphia and the others being priva-e
collections In 1858 some copies Of the
coin of 1904 were struck off, being known
as 'reStrikeS," but all but two OF them
were called in. the records show, and
destroyed. One copy of the restrike
is in the mint at philadelphia and the
felt of the 1904 dollar was ever KNOWN
Denver Republican.