1804 Dollar: The King of U.S. Coins
The 1804 dollar is among the most coveted of all U.S. rare coins, with only 15 known examples. Strangely enough, no dollars dated 1804 were actually struck in that year. The United States Mint only struck dollars dated 1803 in 1804; there was a silver shortage and the expense of creating a new die was saved (regular production of silver dollars then ceased until 1840).  The “1804” dollars were first struck in 1834-35, when the U.S. Department of State decided to give “complete” type sets of U.S. coins, including the 1804 dollar, as gifts to certain rulers in Asia willing to grant trade concessions to the United States.  The appearance in 1962 of the set presented originally to the King of Siam, Rama III, (pictured) between 1834 and 1836, confirmed this initial purpose of the coins. (Visitors to the 2021 Chicago World’s Fair of Money® will have the rare opportunity to see this famous set as part of the incredible Tyrant Collection.)

The unusual history of the 1804 silver dollar extends to the details of when and how the coins were struck. The dollars are thus grouped into three classes:

Class I: Eight specimens, struck during the 1830s and given originally as part of type sets to Asian rulers for trade concessions.  

Class II: A single specimen struck about 1858-59 over a Swiss 1857 “shooting thaler,” and believed to have been an experiment by U.S. Mint employees. This coin is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Numismatic Collection.

Class III: Six specimens produced at the U.S. Mint for favored collectors in 1858-59 with an original obverse die and a reconstructed reverse die. Edge lettering was added later.

ANA Specimens — Click images for enhanced views. Click the browser back button to return to the article.

Class I Cohen Specimen

The Cohen example was stolen from Willis H. du Pont in 1967 during an armed robbery of his Miami home.  Mr. Du Pont donated the coin to the ANA’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum after it was recovered in 1994.

Class III Idler/Bebee Specimen

Seven of Class III dollars are known today.  The Idler example changed hands more than 20 times in its history until Omaha coin dealer Aubrey E. Bebee purchased it at auction in 1985. He and his wife Adeline I. Bebee donated the piece to the Money Museum in 1991.

Update: The Finest 1804 Dollar specimen sold for $7.86 Million on 7/20/21

*This Article on the 1804 Dollar was reprinted with the permission of the American Numismatic Association. Continue reading this article on https://blog.money.org/coin-collecting/american-classics