The Washington herald., 1912-12-22
SiLper Dollar Coined in
1776IS Valued at $4,000

A United States silver pattern dollar.
dated 17T6 and valued a $500. which was
exhibited at Chicago at the convention Of
! the American Numismatic Association,
| brought to the immediate attention of
both the general public and collectors a
silver piece which for rarity. value, and
historical worth completely eClipses the
celebrated 1904 dollar. or indeed. any
other coin in the United States series,
says the New York Evening Post. Even
in some respects it is more interesting
than the excessively rare and valuable
silver pattern dollar or mark Of 17SS.
proposed by Robert Morris, the ''financier
OF the Revolution.
This coin. which is known as the Con-
tinental currency dollar. is owned by II.
o. Granberg. of Oshkosh, Wis, and repre-
sents unquestionably the very first metal
lie issue to bear the stamp of the United
States. or United Colonies, as the Confed-
Grafton was originally known. The Con-
tinental dollar preceded by nine years the
issue of the first regularly authorized cent
OF I7S1-the FugiO or Franklin Cent-and
the issue of the latter coin no doubt was
largely Influenced by this first dollar. for
it bore its principal feature of design
The Continental currency dollar is about
the size of an ordinary silver dollar and
contains SIS grains of silver. On the oh
ing on L sun dial with the word ''Fugio'
to the left. Below the dial is the motto,
Mind Your Business. saying attribut-
cd TO Franklin. This central design is
incIosed by two circles. while around the
border in large letters is the inscription.
continental Currency, 11I6' On the re-
verse is circle of thirteen links. each Of
which bears the name of one of the thir-
teen colonies. In the center is a radia-
fnrlnGnE double
which are the words, American Con-
gress. We Are One"
No definite information az to where the
Continental currency dollar was made
can now be obtained. but It is thought to
have been produced by one of the en-
gravers of Birmingham, England, in
which city were made many of the coins
that were circulated in this country dur
ing colonial days and the most of which
are now highly valued by collectors.
The design of the dollar was evidently
suggested by the devices of the first Con-
tinental currency paper issues. On the
diverse of one of these notes was a rep
resentation of a sun as a human face
shining upon a dial. with the word Flu
Cio." Just above was a representation
of the moon, also as a face. The lat
ter, however. found no place in the de-
sign of the silver dollar. Underneath the
ness The reverse design of the note
showed almost the identical design borne
by the Continental dollar and seems TO
have been embodied intact.
Several varieties of the Continental dol
lar are now known, and not only were
there various designs showing trifling diff
ferences. but they occur in different met
ais silver, brass and white metal. The
rarest Of the series, the one owned by
Mr.. Granberg, shows marked differ
ences from some of the others. Under
meath the dial and above the motto is in
scribed in small letters, 'E. G. Fecit."
''E. c." are supposed to have been the
initials of the engraver of the dies.
From what can be learned. there are
only two specimens of the above dollar
known in silver, the one owned by Mr..
Cranberg and another said to be in the
of an Eastern historical society.
The variety Is also known in brass and
white metal The specimens in the latter
two metals are also rare, and held at
premium. The one in brass is much
rarer than that in white metal.
The next rarest variety OF the Cont