Heritage World Coin Auctions
Long Beach Signature US Coin Sale 1256 8-9 Jun 2017
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1885 $1 Snowden Dollar, Judd-1749, Pollock-1961, Low R.7, PR65 PCGS. The dies are from the regular-issue 1885 Morgan dollar dies, but there is experimental edge lettering as follows: * * * * * * E * / PLURIBUS * / UNUM * * * * *. Struck in aluminum with a tripartite collar for the edge lettering. The following story of the Snowden dollars has been told before but it bears repeating because it explains so much about the production of these pieces:
"Snowden dollars were struck as an anti-counterfeiting measure. The edge was struck from a novel three-part collar that produced raised edge lettering on the coin. Considerable experimentation went into the production of these pieces, and on June 12, 1885 Snowden and his staff succeeded in getting the mechanism to work at normal production speeds of 80 to 100 coins per minute. Snowden retired at the end of the year, and left placement of the raised lettering to his successor. Director Burchard left office around the same time, and no one remained in the Mint who had Snowden's insight, ability, or willingness to experiment to carry his project forward to completion. The tripartite collar was not used again until 1907 when Augustus Saint-Gaudens' double eagles went into production."
The bright aluminum surfaces are just a bit subdued by the passage of time. Notably, the reverse has a large Y-shaped crack in the aluminum planchet at the top of that side. Slight discoloration is seen occasionally along this unusual planchet crack.
HID02901242017
1885 $1 Snowden Dollar, Judd-1749, Pollock-1961, Low R.7, PR65 PCGS. The dies are from the regular-issue 1885 Morgan dollar dies, but there is experimental edge lettering as follows: * * * * * * E * / PLURIBUS * / UNUM * * * * *. Struck in aluminum with a tripartite collar for the edge lettering. The following story of the Snowden dollars has been told before but it bears repeating because it explains so much about the production of these pieces:
"Snowden dollars were struck as an anti-counterfeiting measure. The edge was struck from a novel three-part collar that produced raised edge lettering on the coin. Considerable experimentation went into the production of these pieces, and on June 12, 1885 Snowden and his staff succeeded in getting the mechanism to work at normal production speeds of 80 to 100 coins per minute. Snowden retired at the end of the year, and left placement of the raised lettering to his successor. Director Burchard left office around the same time, and no one remained in the Mint who had Snowden's insight, ability, or willingness to experiment to carry his project forward to completion. The tripartite collar was not used again until 1907 when Augustus Saint-Gaudens' double eagles went into production."
The bright aluminum surfaces are just a bit subdued by the passage of time. Notably, the reverse has a large Y-shaped crack in the aluminum planchet at the top of that side. Slight discoloration is seen occasionally along this unusual planchet crack.
HID02901242017