"1776" (1876) Continental Dollar. Dickeson Restrike. HK-853. Rarity-7. Copper. MS-63 BN (NGC).

38 mm. The obverse is toned with mottled olive highlights to a base of autumn-brown. The reverse, toned in lighter olive-brown, retains plenty of original bright orange color. Both sides are fully struck and free of detracting marks, a smattering of light carbon on the obverse precluding a higher numeric grade. Professor Montroville Wilson Dickeson (1813 to 1882) was a numismatist who published the American Numismatic Manual in 1859 just as coin collecting was coming into its own in America. He produced copies of the 1776 Continental dollar and sold them as souvenirs for the Centennial Exposition of 1876. Several years later Thomas Elder acquired the dies and made further restrikes. Eventually the dies were given to the American Numismatic Society in New York City. These perennial favorites with collectors of early American coinage and related types never go begging in the auction arena, so be prepared to pay "top dollar" for this handsome example.

Estimate: $ 1000