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 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,566 |
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
The Heraldic Eagle half series runs from 1801-1807. There are 1803's and 1805's and there is an 1805/4 half. An overdate 5 punched over a 4 would indicate that 1804 dies were made. Why were they never used? I'm sure somebody knows the answer to this.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
807 Posts |
Same reason there are no real 1804 dollars, I suspect : a surplus of 1803 dies not yet worn out. If someone had started to prepare an 1804 die, but it wasn't required, it would reasonably have been made over into an 1805.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3058 Posts |
None of the 1804 dollars are real?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe there are genuine examples of the 1804 dollar.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
Quote:
None of the 1804 dollars are real? All 1804 dollars were produced in the 1830s or later. President Jackson wanted sets of coins struck to present to the leaders of foreign countries (e.g. Siam). There were restrikes in the 1850s and 1860s made using dies that had been stored. Edit: Adding this link on the 1804 dollars http://coinfacts.com/silver_dollars...r_Dollar.htm-MV Edited by MeadowviewCollector
07/04/2016 3:33 pm
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Moderator
 United States
54280 Posts |
Quote:
None of the 1804 dollars are real?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I do believe there are genuine examples of the 1804 dollar. No existing 1804 dollar was actually struck in 1804. As stated the so-called "genuine examples" are not really 1804 dollars, they just bear the date of 1804. They are really just presentation pieces that look exactly like a dollar would have appeared if struck in 1804 (and not circulated). Show your financial support of the Coin Community Family (click here)See my topic on Mexican Numismatic Medals (click here) |
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CCF Advertiser
 United States
1533 Posts |
The silver dollar was not minted after 1803 and the ones on the books for 1804 had the 1803 date. No 1804 dies were used until 1830. Such is not the case for the 1804 half. Draped Bust halves were minted from 1801 until the series ended in 1807 when they switched to Capped Bust. Why did they not use the 1804 dies except to overpunch them?
Edited by Andrew99
07/04/2016 3:57 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4468 Posts |
This is my understand of the reason no half dollars show the date of 1804. In 1804 the mint was experimenting with a new process on making dies, so the 1804 half dollar dies were made, but no coins were struck with the dies for circulation. In 1804 the mint issued 155,519 half dollars for circulation with most likly the 1803 date.
The same thing happened with the silver dollar as 19,570 were struck in 1804 with the 1803 date.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
That must have made them extremely rare in 1805 !  Can't beat a population count of zero, no matter what the condition.  |
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
There is some evidence of counterpunching dates, such as the 1802/1 dollar, but there are lots of examples of coins made with dies that had last years dates. So why were the 1804 dies not used at all, except the one's that were counterpunched 1805?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4468 Posts |
In 1804 the mint was having issues with making the dies with the new process and it appears they simply ran out of time to strike coins for circulation with the 1804 date on the Half Dime, half dollar and dollar. There was also a very low mintage on the large cent, dime, quarter, quarter eagle and eagle. The only coin with the1804 date that was minted with any real numbers with over a million struck was the Half Cent. A collector would have a difficult time putting together a 1804 date set even without the dollar. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Something else you have to remember is that in the early years of the mint they did not have a bullion fund. The government could not go out into the market and buy gold and silver to coin it for their own account. ALL of the gold and silver coins were struck to order by people and companies that came in and deposited their own silver. And those depositior would specify what denomination they wanted in return. Each deposit was kept separate and would be melted, rolled, blanked, and struck. Then the scrap would be melted, rolled, blanked, and struck. This would continue repeatedly until all of the deposit was coined. That would be returned and they would move on to the next deposit. This was NOT an efficient system.
Dies were expensive so they would be used until they were worn out. Apparently they had 1803 dies still on hand at the start of 1804 and they just continued to use them. Close to the end of the year the last 1803 dies were wearing out so they made an 1804 die but since it was close to the end of the year they didn't harden it. The 1803 dies managed to finish out the year of 1804, or orders for half dollars stopped coming in. The year ended and either the 1803 dies were discarded (or may have even been used in 1805) but they finally were gone. Now you have an unused and unhardened 1804 die. They punched in the 5, hardened it, and started using it. When it wore out they made 1805 dies and continued.
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Replies: 11 / Views: 2,566 |
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Posted 07/04/2016 1:29 pm
