Home > 1804 silver dollar
The 1804 silver dollar is one of the rarest and most famous coins in the world. The United States Mint ceased production of silver dollars in 1803, and the 1804 silver dollar was not actually minted until 1834, when the U.S. Department of State decided that a few coins with the unusual date 1804 might make excellent gifts to certain rulers in Asia in exchange for trade advantages. The first 1804 silver dollars minted in 1834 were presented as gifts to the King of Siam and the Sultan of Muscat. These silver dollars are known among numismatists as “original” 1804 dollars. Eight of these coins are known to exist.A single 1804 silver dollar was minted in 1857. This particular coin was actually struck onto an existing coin (A Swiss "Shooting Thaler" coin), and it is believed the coin was minted as an experiment by employees of the United States Mint.
Between 1858 and 1860 a small number of 1804 silver dollars were illegally struck by an employee of the Mint named Theodore Eckfeldt, and sold to coin collectors through a store in Philadelphia. The number of coins minted is believed to be between ten and fifteen, struck with two separate coin dies, known to numismatists as "Class II" and "Class III" strikes. The illegally minted coins (which are not classified as counterfeit because they were actually produced at the United States Mint) were hunted down and retrieved by officials of the Mint, with most of them being destroyed. One single Class II coin is known to exist (currently held at the Smithsonian Institution), while six or seven of the class III coins are believed to exist today.
Popular legend states that the rare coin given by King Rama IV of Siam to Anna Leonowens, as seen in the story of “ Anna and the King of SiamAnna and the King of Siam is a book by Margaret Landon, a play and a 1946 movie. Based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens, a British governess in the Royal Court of Siam (now modern Thailand) during the 1860s, the story mainly concerns the culture clash of” and the movie The King and IThe King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with a script based on Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The plot comes from the autobiographical story of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mo, was indeed the same 1804 silver dollar produced in 1834 as a gift to Siam. This coin was kept in Anna’s family for several generations, until in the 1950sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Years: 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. it was sold by a pair of British ladies claiming to be Anna’s descendants. This coin was displayed as part of the “King of Siam” collection at the Smithsonian Institution in 1983Events January January 1 Beat Raaflaub became Basel Boys Choir's new conductor January 1 the ARPANET officially changes to use the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet. January 1 compulsory wearing of seat belts becomes law in the UK. January 2 The mu, where it was given the name “the King of Coins.” It was purchased by an anonymous collector in 20012001 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall ap, who purchased the entire set of coins from the King of Siam collection for over $4 million.
On August 30August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. Events 1574 Guru Ram Das became the Fourth Sikh Guru/Master 1813 Battle of Kulm French forces defeated by Austrian- Prussian- Russian alliance, 1999For the album by Prince, see 1999 (album 1999 is a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the UN. Events Kosovo War Former child star Gary Coleman files for bankruptcy Y2K prep, an “original” 1804 silver dollar from the 1834 minting was sold at auction for over $4 million.
The records of the United States Mint state that 19,570 silver dollars were minted in 1804, but numismatists believe these were all dated 1803; it was a standard practice of the Mint to continue to use coin dies from the previous year if the dies were in decent condition.
Various silver mints have produced “ commemorativeCommemorative coins are legally issued coins with a denomination that are not usually meant for circulation. They are so called to distinguish them from regular issue coinage. In the United Kingdom, before decimalisation of the money system in 1971, the u” replicas of the 1804 dollar over the years, and these replicas are widely available to coin collectors. The replicas have little worth as collectors’ items, with their silver content fetching them a typical price of between ten and twenty-five dollars. These duplicate 1804 silver dollars can frequently be found on Ebay and other auction sites. Con artists and perpetrators of fraud have been known to attempt to sell these replicas for large amounts of money, claiming that they are the original 1804 silver dollar.
