The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-28

ity and his fidelity to duty
 crossed and tied Around the rim were the words United States of America. 2
 A specimen Of this date in uncirculated condition has brought ,53.
 This same design, with a few varia.
 tions, was adopted in I7s6 and 17e7, in
 which years the records show 72,s20
 and TITS dollars to have been coined,
 respectively.
 In 17sS q radical change was made | In the design. Of the reverse, the ob- verse remaining the same as that of . the preceding year. On this the eagle. with raised wings, bears 8 United l States shield upon it's breast. In the beak is scroll inscribed "E ! Pluribus Unum." In the right talon is | q bundle of arrows, an olive branch being held in the left Above the eagle are clouds and thirteen stars and the words United States Of America" It Is shown that S27.5s6 dollars were ! coined this year. An uncirculated dol-
 lar of 17s7 has brought $20. while one
 of f7sa. in the same condition. has been sold for s16.
 The mint records show that in 1799 there were coined 423,515 dollars. the busiest year at that institution for the
 coinage of dollars during this period while 1900 produced 320.S26; 1901, 54.- | 454; 1892. 4i,e50; 1903. 66,064. Tn 1894,
 although this is disputed, It is said that | more than 19,000 dollars were ninted. I In the last year was issued perhaps | the most famous dollar of all One of | the reasons assigned for the scarcity | of the 1904 dollar is that silver dollars 'were used in those days to pay off our men in the naSy and nearly all the
 coins made by the mint that year were I "A 1r=f,- aA | sailors engaged in the Tripolttan war.
 It is the theory that only few of the
 coins found their way back to this l country
 This explanation Is hardly satisfac- | tory, as 1t is reasonable to suppose that
 some of the coins would still be in ex-
 istence on the Continent. This is not
 the case. The stock of every coin deal | CT on the other side has been ransacked
 time and again by American collectors
 in eager search of rarities and without finding any dollars of 1894.
 The design of the 1894 dollar is the
 same as that of 170s with the single | exception of the date. One of the coins
 sold not long ago for s1,1o0, and yet it
 is said that there are fully twenty-one in existence. Great difference of opin-
 ion exists among coin authorities as to
 the genuineness of the 1894 dollar and
 no satisfactory conclusion has ever
 been reached.
 In 1888 and 1888 two different dollars
 were Issued by the United States mint
 in silver, which are now of high rarity,
 the one of the latter year being espe-
 ciaIly rare. These two pieces were de-
 signed by c. Gobrecht of the mint
 The one of 1SS6 shows Liberty seated,
 holding in the left hand a spear, sur
 mounted by liberty cap. The right hand supports & shield, across which is
 a band Inscribed Liberty Underneath
 is "1S36."
 At the base of the figure is the name , in small letters e. Gobrecht F." On the reverse is United States Of Amer ica," in the center being a large flying
 eagle, surrounded by twenty?six stars. : The edge is plain. This coin is now valued at $75.
 . In 1888 the same designer issued an- other pattern dollar. The figure of Liberty on this coin is surrounded by 7 thirteen stars while the name at the } base is omitted. On the reverse is a l flying eagle similar to the one of 1886 3 but the stars are omitted and the edge
 is milled. This coin recently sold for 5 $1s2.50. .... .-> , Tn 1889 another pattern was issued by Gobrecht similar to that of 1888, but the edge was reeded. A specimen oi ] this varl -ty has brought $50 The eagle on the pattern dollars oi these three years and also the flying eagle cents Of the latter part of the 5 5Os is a portrait of the fine eagle tha
 used to make the Philadelphia mint hi, ' headauarters. This bird. 1t is said
 lived at the mint for six years, flew z all about the city, but invariably re 2 turned at night fall. He was named ! Peter and was known to Philadelphiani
 as the Mint bird" He met an un s timely end by being caught in the ma 1 l chinery.
 n In 1S4O. the coinage of dollars was re z sumed, the design on the obvers = showing Liberty seated upon rock
 supporting with her right hand tn d United States shield, across which float $ a scroll inscribed "Liberty.V and witt u her left stan and liberty cap. Oi e wings. bearing a United States shielt c on it's brest. United States of America h One Doll"
 t This design was followed each yea |? until 1S66, when ,he motto Tn God W - Trust" was added, and continued unti 0 1873, when this style of dollar wa
 dropped to be replaced by the trad l, dollar which was coined each year un e til 1877. when trade dollars were aban @ doned, and the next year, 1878, the pres - ent style was adopted, which has bee . continued without interruption eve since
 | The rarest of the dollars since 1Sc
 are those Of 1851 and 1852. which hay [ brought, respectively, $55 and S52. tn circulated dollars of 1854. 1855, an . 1858 have sold from s9 to $12, whil ! rfI