The Class III 1804 Draped Bust Dollar is one of the rarest and most popular pieces ever struck by the U.S. Mint. Thought to exist in only 15 examples up until recently, this newly discovered coin marks the monumental 16th-known specimen. In PCGS PR65, it's now also the finest known. They were first struck in the 1830s for diplomatic sets after officials believed 1804 was the final year of silver dollar production - an error that gave birth to one of numismatics' greatest treasures. It's heading to auction in December as part of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection.
wow. so, there are just 16 known examples. is there any indication anywhere of how many were actually minted? I only ask because of the die cracks I see on the obverse.
Of course, this was Why it was originally struck: The King of Siam set, along with the set for the ruler of Muscat & Oman, etc. The "1804" proof $10 is also an enigma, though much rarer by 4x than the Dollar, according to PCGS
Amazing indeed. But the upper levels of this hobby are so far out of reach to the average collector that it is pointless and frustrating even to pipe-dream about actually owning anything even close to that standard. Unless if by luck or amazing good fortune you become a mega-millions lottery winner with nothing better to do with your newfound bounty. This is why coin collecting is often referred to as 'the hobby of kings'.
For those really interested in the whole story of this new 1804 dollar watch this excellent interview with John Kraljevich jr. and Erik Goldstein. The 1804 part only starts at around 9:40 in.
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John goes into some of the really important nuances of this die and the complete story of it coming from the James A. Stack collection (no relationship to the Stack family selling the coin).
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector.
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Posted 11/22/2025 2:18 pm
