That Nagging Feeling
pmh1nic
Posts: 3,112 ✭✭✭✭✭
A while back I posted a picture of my set of coins minted in the year 1900. Some chimed it that the set didn’t include the Layafette Dollar. My thought at the time was “it’s a commemorative coin, I don’t need it as part of the set”.
Unfortunately there remained that nagging feeling that the set wasn’t complete. I pushed it aside but it kept nagging away at me. I finally broke down, found one I could afford and purchased it.
One interesting note I found is that the Lafayette Dollar is the first U.S. legal tender coin with a portrait of Washington on it. All of the 50,000 coins were minted on one day, December 14th, 1899. Actually there was some controversy about dating coins minted in 1899 with the year 1900 on them but the powers that be wanted the date on the coin to coincide with the date of the Paris Exposition to be held in 1900.
On the reverse of the coin is the inscription “Erected by the youth in the United States…” that refers to a fund raising effort by students to help raise the $50,000 needed to build the statue of Lafayette that was to be unveiled at the Paris Exhibition.
Here is the coin I got.
Comments
Nice story. Glad you shared it makes the coin much more interesting… 12/14/1899.
Nice!
I know some varieties are scarce or even rare.
(Something to do with the date placement and leaves above the date?)
peacockcoins
Also, is the circle on the reverse a scratch on the plastic?
And the horse's tail has an interesting strike going on.
peacockcoins
Braddick
I took another picture of the reverse and it seems the circle had something to do with the lightening or Iphone I used. It doesn't appear in this photo.
Looks like 3D which is roughly an eighth of the extant coins. The major diagnostic on the reverse is indeed the leaf placement. Here is my new purchase which I just received this morning!
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US Gold Showcase
Is there a reason that PCGS does not list it among their price list for Commemorative Silver? Maybe because it was a dollar coin/commem?
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.
The Swiatek book (and Coinfacts) lists 3D as very rare but a Numismatic News article from 2008 lists it as ~15%. So I dunno?
Also @jesbroken , it is listed with all of the other silver commems:
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US Gold Showcase
Yea, mine looks like a 3-D. When PCGS refers to it as “very rare”, what does that mean regard the actual numbers?
It looks like PCGS basically copied the Swiatek book and I have no idea what he meant by very rare. But that book was published in 1990 so it's understandable if the numbers are a little wonky. Regarding other coins, I've always taken very rare to mean fewer than 10-20ish and that scarce is more properly used otherwise.
But even if 3D is 1% of the total population, that is 1% of roughly 7000 straight graded examples between PCGS and NGC. So maybe 10-12k (???) survivors including Details coins and non-slabbed. I personally do not view a (potential) population of 100+ as very rare or even just plain rare.
Chopmarked Trade Dollar Registry Set --- US Gold Showcase
@pmh1nic... Well now you can rest easy... I know about those nagging feelings... My worst case was when building my CC Morgan set... The O/CC bothered me until I got one... Wasn't really necessary... but it was out there.
Cheers, RickO
Until recently the half disme was considered a pattern coin. Now that it appears as a coin meant for circulation I have this nagging feeling that I need one to complete my type set....
Unfortunately the only cure is getting one…lol