Introduction by James C. Gray

Gobrecht dollars have delighted their owners and perplexed researchers since they were first struck in 1836. While there are many unanswered questions regarding these coins, the most enduring inquiry has been how to differentiate originals from restrikes

The first researcher to propose a theory for distinguishing originals from restrikes was Walter Breen. In 1954 he wrote an article entitled: “The Secret History of the Gobrecht Coinages 1836-1840" (Reference 4), which appeared in the Coin Collectors Journal. According to Breen, restrikes dated 1836 with name on base would have repolished dies, wire rims and reverse die cracks. Restrikes dated 1838 and 1839 would have repolished dies and wire rims.

In 1977 Breen published “Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins” (Reference 2). In this book Breen completely changed his theory for identifying originals and restrikes. His new theory was that originals had the eagle flying upward while restrikes had the eagle flying level (see Table 1). In 1982 Robert W. Julian published a four part article on Gobrecht dollars that appeared in Coin World (Reference 8). Julian did extensive research for his article and concluded that Breen’s 1977 theory was correct.

I was very impressed with Julian’s article and decided to research original issue Gobrecht dollars. I based my research on the circulation rates and the die states of the coins I encountered. I found that a high percentage of the 1836 and 1839 dollars in Die Alignment IV were circulated or damaged, and all were struck from perfect uncracked dies. The results of my research were reported in the article “Gobrecht Dollars” that appeared in Issue #37 of the Gobrecht Journal in November 1986 (included in Reference 6). The article stated my belief that 1836 and 1839 Die Alignment IV coins from perfect dies were part of the original issues of March 1837 and December 1839. Since both of these issues had the eagle flying level, my findings were contrary to those published by Breen and Julian.

After the publication of this article I continued my research and found that many of the 1836 (J60) coins in Die Alignment IV were struck on 416 grain planchets from 0.8942 fine silver. These were the same planchets used to strike the original issue of 1000 coins in December 1836. I located two 1836 Die Alignment II coins that were both mint state and struck from Perfect dies. I also saw about five or six 1836 Die Alignment III coins. They were all mint state and had wire rims, repolished dies and reverse die cracks. The Die Alignment III coins were clearly restrikes.

In 1992 Dave Bowers invited me to join him and Andrew Pollock III in writing certain portions of the Gobrecht dollar material for his book “Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States”. Dave had published the Gobrecht dollar article in Issue 63 of his Rare Coin Review and also believed that 1836 and 1839 dollars in Die Alignment IV from perfect dies were original issues. Dave dubbed our beliefs to be the revisionist theory.

We were in total agreement that the Die Alignment I coins were struck in December 1836, that the Die Alignment IV coins were struck in March 1837, and that the Die Alignment III coins were restrikes. Among us we had seen four or five 1836 Die Alignment II coins with one circulated specimen and all from perfect dies. We had no weight data on any of these coins. At one point in the manuscript Die Alignment II dollars were described but not listed as originals or restrikes. We finally decided to designated them as restrikes since they were rarely seen and were often found in mint state. There also had been some correspondence from James Snowden indicating that restrikes were coined in such a way as to be distinguished from originals.

I never felt comfortable designating Die Alignment II coins as restrikes, since they had die states identical to the Die Alignment IV coins. The only way to prove that Die Alignment II coins are restrikes would be to find one that had reverse die cracks like the Die Alignment III coins. This would prove that they were struck after the Die Alignment IV coins.

Table 1. Breen Definition of Die Alignment for Gobrecht Dollars.

Die Alignment I: Coin turn. Eagle flies onward and upward, two pellets flanking ONE DOLLAR are level after rotation along the horizontal axis. Coin turn, as on most U.S. coins since 1792.

Die Alignment II: Medal turn. Eagle flies onward and upward, two pellets flanking ONE DOLLAR level after rotation along the vertical axis.

Die Alignment III: Coin turn. Eagle files horizontally, two pellets flanking ONE DOLLAR not level after rotation along the horizonal axis.

Die Alignment IV: Medal turn. Eagle flies horizontally, two pellets flanking ONE DOLLAR not level after rotation along the vertical axis.

For the next several years my research got me no closer to solving the puzzle, but on April 6, 1995, I received a letter from Mike Carboneau. Mike had been researching Gobrecht dollars for several years and had acquired an 1836 Gobrecht dollar that he wanted to discuss with me. It was in Die Alignment II and had a beginning crack in the letters of DOLLAR. In addition, Mike had seen that the head of Liberty was not opposite the ES of STATES like a true Die Alignment II coin. Instead, it was to the right of the second S in STATES. I thought that the cracked reverse die was the evidence I needed to prove that Die Alignment II coins were restrikes. I was also intrigued by the rotated alignment from true Die Alignment II. I responded to Mike’s letter, and in his next correspondence he related that his coin had been examined by the ANA Authentication Bureau. The apparent die crack was found to be a planchet flaw, but the coin was authenticated as an original Die Alignment II variant. I was now back to square one on Die Alignment II coins. Mike and I continued to correspond and share information. We also decided to undertake a long term comprehensive research project regarding Gobrecht dollars. We would obtain data on every Gobrecht dollar that appeared at auction or was described in a public advertisement, and we would examine every Gobrecht dollar that we encountered at coin shows.

There were two minor obstacles to our research. In my 1986 article I commented that auction cataloguers and advertisers had an uncontrollable urge to picture Gobrecht dollars with the eagle flying upward irrespective of the true die alignment. This trend has continued as evidenced by Lots 1391, 1392, and 1393 of the Goldberg sale of the Kardtzke Collection in February 2000. All three lots were pictured with the eagle flying upward when, in fact, all three coins had the eagle flying level.

In addition, the concept of four die alignments and how to identify them was still highly confusing. We found that a number of coins were incorrectly catalogued as to die alignment in major auctions, including President Andrew Jackson’s personal Gobrecht dollar. The cataloguer of the Jackson piece is a first rate numismatist by any standard, and if die alignments could confuse him, they could confuse anyone.

Mike and I had to devise a simple but foolproof method for determining die alignments so the data provided to us would be correctly recorded. The idea we developed was to describe exactly the portion of the reverse legend that was directly opposite the center of Liberty’s head. Table 2 shows how the die alignments were determined. This method also allowed us to determine intermediate die alignments that are discussed in further detail in this article. Using this method we were able to gather correct data on every Gobrecht dollar that we identified from 1995 through early 2000 when we began to write this article.

Table 2. Gray & Carboneau Refinement of Die Alignment for Gobrecht Dollars.

Die Alignment I:Center of Liberty’s head opposite DO in DOLLAR.

Die Alignment II:Center of Liberty’s head opposite ES in STATES.

Die Alignment III:Center of Liberty’s head opposite N in ONE.

Die Alignment IV:Center of Liberty’s head opposite right side of the F in OF.

In this article we intend to prove that the issue of March 1837 was initially struck in Die Alignment II. As the striking proceeded, the hammer (or anvil) die began to rotate, so the head of Liberty moved clockwise with respect to the reverse legend. When the head of Liberty reached a point opposite the F in OF, the rotation slowed. Approximately 70% of the total issue of 600 coins were struck from this point with the issue ending in true Die Alignment IV orientation. Thus, the issue of March 1837 is comprised of Die Alignment II coins, Die Alignment IV coins, and all the intermediate die alignments. Hopefully, this article and some planned future articles will determine with finality which Gobrecht dollars are originals and which are restrikes.

Mike and I would like to thank all of the people who helped us in our research. We would especially like to thank Scott Mitchell of Stack’s and Andy Pollock of Bowers and Merena who provided data on every Gobrecht dollar handled by their firms either at auction or through retail sales for a period of almost five years. Suzie Kono of Superior Galleries also assisted as did Dr. Julius Korein who sent in information on 22 Gobrecht dollars that appeared in the New York area. We would like to thank Mark Van Winkle at Heritage; and, also Saul Teichman for his pedigree information on several Gobrecht Dollars that appeared in auction catalogs.

The Die Alignment Characteristics of Gobrecht Dollars Issued in 1837

The purpose of this article is to propose a new and simple explanation for the die alignment characteristics of Gobrecht Dollars issued in 1837. Unlike the original coins of 1836, Gobrecht Dollars made in 1837 (also referred to as the second originals) represent an interesting but confusing issue. Although it is not the objective of this article to discuss the issues of 1838 or 1839, some general information surrounding these later two issues is briefly mentioned in support of ideas surrounding the issue of 1837. A detailed review of the coins of 1838 and 1839 is planned for a future article.

It is also not the intent of this article to discuss the detailed and rich history surrounding the Gobrecht Dollars, much of which has already been documented in many excellent references; however, some background information is mentioned in order to understand the basic problem at hand. Some of the most significant articles that already discuss the historical aspects of Gobrecht Dollars and other supporting information are listed in References 1 through 11 at the end of this article. For example, in Reference 8, R. W. Julian presents a convincing argument for believing that the original issues of 1836, 1837, and 1839 are all standard issued coins and not patterns. In Reference 6, James C. Gray discusses the fundamental problem surrounding the Gobrecht Dollars; that is, which coins represent the original issues, and which coins are the restrikes?

Background Information

The present research into Gobrecht Dollars began in 1993. At that time, it was thought that many of the unsolved mysteries surrounding these dollars could be solved if enough observations were made. The primary problem with Gobrecht Dollars is that they are rare enough that only a few come up for sale in any given year. In fact, the issues of 1838 and 1839 are exceedingly rare (compared with the 1836 coins), and even after many years of observations, we have not collected enough information to answer all of the outstanding questions surrounding these later two issues.

During the last several years of research, the authors of this paper have reviewed every important referenced work that has been published on Gobrecht Dollars. In addition, we have collected detailed notes on Gobrecht Dollars that appeared for sale at major U.S. coin shows and prominent auctions, calling the auction houses for coin details not described in their catalogs. As we observed more examples of Gobrecht Dollars, it became clear that none of the currently proposed or accepted theories could adequately explain all of the observed facts. It was clear that a new theory would have to be developed in order to explain all known observations.

The Rotated Die Theory and the Existence of Intermediate Die Alignment Coins

Gobrecht Dollars exist in many different die alignments - many more than the four die alignments originally identified by Walter Breen (see References 2 and 3). In fact, for the case of medal alignment coins, several different rotational alignments have been observed over the years (although only six are illustrated in this article). Figures 1 through 6 show photos of six different Gobrecht Dollars (J60 coins), all in medal orientation, but in slightly different die alignments. A detailed description of each figure is given below.

Each of the coins shown in Figures 1 - 6 exhibit medal turn orientation (i.e., a turn relative to the coin’s vertical axis), but with the eagle flying at different angles. In each of these figures, the obverse side of all coins are identically aligned with the head of Liberty positioned at the top of the slab nearest the label. Also in each of these figures, a line is drawn between the two pellets (or dots on the reverse side of each coin). This line is then allowed to intersect with a horizontal line. The angle between the two intersecting lines represents the angle of rotation of the reverse side of the coin relative to the obverse side. The angle of rotation for each coin (to within an accuracy of ±2^o) is shown in each figure. In the case of true Die Alignment II coins, the two pellets will be perfectly level and hence a line drawn between these two points will be horizontal; and therefore, the angle of rotation would be zero degrees (0^o). In the case of a Die Alignment IV coin, the two pellets are skewed to the point that it appears that the eagle is flying level (a situation similar to Figure 6 with an angle of rotation equal to 33^o). In addition to the six coins pictured here, additional coins have been observed that exhibit die alignments falling in between those identified in these figures. For example, the J60 coin sold in the January 26, 1996 Sale by Bowers’ and Merena as Lot 1648 (slabbed by PCGS with serial number 11227.61/4034768), has a die alignment in between Figures 3 and 4; or an angle of rotation of about 18^o (relative to Die Alignment II = 0^o). Another J60 (medal turn) Gobrecht Dollar (PCGS coin 11227.61/2598884, not shown) was observed with an angle of rotation of 24^o. Based on our observations, we conclude that Gobrecht Dollars (e.g., J60 coins) in medal orientation exist in many different die alignments (i.e., more than the two alignments [II and IV] identified by Walter Breen for medal orientation).

So what do these coins represent? Are these coins restrikes or originals? It is our thesis that all of the medal alignment coins are related and that they represent the issue of 1837. In other words, the issue of 1837 started out in Die Alignment II, and sometime during the coining process the hammer (or anvil) die rotated, eventually producing an entire series of intermediate alignment coins, finally ending up with the Die Alignment IV configuration.

Descriptions of the coins shown in Figures 1 through 6.

As previously discussed, Gobrecht Dollars (1836 dated coins with stars on the reverse and with a plain edge) exist with die alignments falling in between Alignments II and IV. Furthermore, all of the coins shown in Figures 1 through 6 exhibit the same fundamental die state characteristics: For example, [1] the reverse die has not been repolished (e.g., a die line exists above the Eagle’s right wing pointing to ‘AT’ of ‘STATES’. This line is usually seen on all AU or better coins; however, excessive wear on lower grade coins or weak strikes on some coins may tend to eliminate this particular feature); [2] none of the illustrated coins show any evidence of the reverse die cracks which are commonly found on Die Alignment III coins; [3] no obverse die rust is observed on any of the Die Alignment II/IV (or intermediate alignment) coins, as compared with many Die Alignment III coins; [4] a large proportion of the medal alignment coins were made on heavy weight planchets (planchets that certainly would not have existed at the Mint after 1837 (e.g., during the 1850's, 1860's, and 1870's when most of the restriking occurred); and, [5] the illustrated coins do not have wire-edges (e.g, knife-rims). In addition, many of the Die Alignment II/IV coins show evidence of circulation - suggesting that many of these coins were deposited into commerce at about the same time (like the issue of 1836, but unlike the Die Alignment III coins which were sold or traded to collectors and are usually found in high grades). All of these characteristics indicate that the Die Alignment II, IV, and intermediate alignment coins are related (e.g., belong to the same issue), and were stuck at about the same time from dies that were probably rotating during the striking process.

The above analysis suggests that there are only three different die alignment families: [1] Alignment I (the original 1000 coins issued in 1836); [2] the medal alignment coins (e.g., II, IV, plus intermediate alignments) all representing the 600 coins issued in 1837; and [3] the Alignment III coins, the true restrikes probably made in the 1850's, 1860's, and 1870's.

Coin Weight Data Supports the Rotated Die Theory for the Issue of 1837

Table 3 shows some published weight data for Gobrecht Dollars as a function of the coin’s die alignment. Only weight data for AU and better grade coins are included in Table 3; all lower grade coins have been discarded from these lists in order to reduce the influence of wear on the coin weight information. The tabulated data were collected from readily available auction catalogs. Again, the collected information does not represent a scientific sample, but rather a list of all data that could easily be obtained. Efforts to eliminate duplicate entries for the same coin appearing in multiple auctions was done whenever possible. In some cases, when the coin’s die alignment was not clearly identified in the catalog, or in other cases to verify the catalog information, the authors called the respective auction houses and spoke with a staff numismatist to obtain a detailed description of the coin, including the coin’s actual die alignment (which in some cases was different than that described in the catalog). In many situations, this was absolutely necessary since a great deal of confusion exists regarding the Breen definition of Die Alignments.

The information shown in Table 3 (representing only J60 coins) clearly indicates that the Die Alignment III coins were made on light weight planchets (representing the latter year restrikes); and that the average coin weights for Die Alignment I, II, and IV dollars are respectively: 415.2±1.3, 415.7±0.3, and 414.4±1.2 grains. Based on these data, the average weight of Die Alignment I and II coins are essentially the same, with the Die Alignment IV coins (on average) a little lighter, but clearly heavier than the Die Alignment III coins (411.8±0.5 grains). The Die Alignment III coins appear to have all been made on light weight planchets. However, some Die Alignment IV coins were obviously made on light weight planchets, but many others were made on heavy weight planchets. These data suggest that the Die Alignment II and IV coins were both made in 1837; some coins made on heavy weight planchets left over from 1836, while others were made on light weight planchets manufactured after January 1837. Beyond 1837, heavy weight planchets would not have existed at the Mint. The law changing the weights and fineness of US coinage did not take effect until January 18, 1837. In any case, the total weight of pure silver in the US Dollar remained the same; it was only the total weight of the coin’s silver+copper alloy that was reduced from 416 grains to 412.5 grains. Therefore, it was probably realized by Mint officials that it was more efficient and cost effective to use up any old (heavy weight) planchets left over from 1836, instead of melting them and making new ones; especially since the 1837 mintage of Dollars was expected to be small. This particular situation occurred because the amount of silver in the new planchets was the same as in the old planchets (e.g., the old planchets had a fineness of 0.8924+ and a total weight of 416 grains, producing a silver weight of 371.25 grains and a copper weight of 44.75 grains. The new planchets had a fineness of 0.900 and a total coin weight of 412.5 grains; producing a silver weight of 371.25 grains and a copper weight of 41.25 grains). In other words, the precious metal (silver) content remained constant from 1836 to 1837 (although a small additional amount of copper, 3.5 grains, and worth a small fraction of one cent (e.g., 0.02 cents = 3.5/168 with 168 grains being the weight of a cent), would have been present in the old heavy weight planchets. It was only the total weight of the coins that was reduced from 1836 to 1837; consequently affecting the overall fineness, not the precious metal (silver) weight. Therefore, it made more sense to use up any remaining old planchets carried over from 1836 (or made prior to the law of January 18, 1837), and then supplement this inventory with new (lighter weight) planchets when needed. This would explain why some Die Alignment IV coins appear on both heavy and light weight planchets, and why the Die Alignment II coins appear on only heavy weight planchets.

The coin weight data indicates that the Gobrecht Dollar coinage of 1837 started out in Die Alignment II on heavy weight planchets, followed by a slow (and accidental) rotation of one of the two dies (probably the hammer die). This would have produced coins initially made on heavy weight planchets (i.e., the Die Alignment II coins) until these planchets were eventually used up sometime during the Die Alignment IV striking. This misalignment or rotational “error” may or may not have been noticed by the Mint personnel, especially since all of these coins were quickly deposited into commerce, and misaligned coins were a rather common occurrence at the Mint during the 1800's. Even if the die rotation problem had been noticed (probably after the 600 coins were made), it was reasoned that the entire issue of 1837 could still be distinguished from the issue of 1836 because they were all on a medal turn alignment instead of a coin alignment basis for the 1836 coins. In any case, it would have been too costly for the Mint to remelt the 1837 coins and produce a second batch of planchets for such a low mintage. In summary, the Gobrecht Dollar coin weight data supports, and is consistent with the rotated reverse die theory.

Table 3 (part I). Coin weight data for 1836 (J60) dollars in Die Alignments I and II with grades of AU or better. Data taken from auction catalogs and fixed price lists that reported coin weight data. Some numerical grades have been estimated when not specifically reported in the auction catalogs.

Table 3 (part 2). Coin weight data for 1836 (J60) dollars in Die Alignments III and IV with grades AU and better. Data taken from auction catalogs and fixed price lists that reported coin weight data. Some numerical grades have been estimated when not specifically reported in the auction catalogs.

* This coin appears to have been later sold as Lot 6828 in the September 1998 Heritage Auction (Dawson Sale - not listed here).

Coin Population Data Supports the Rotated Die Theory for the Issue of 1837

Table 4 lists a collection of data obtained from major auction sales (e.g., auction catalogs with verification of catalog listings by calling the auction houses and speaking with a Numismatist concerning the described coins), and observations made on the Bourse floors of major coin shows. The data shown in Table 4 does not represent a scientifically controlled survey, but rather a set of all data that were obtained from 1993 until August 2000.

As pointed out by Q. David Bowers (Reference 5), the Die Alignment II coins are far too rare to represent the entire 600 coins made in 1837. Bowers goes on to suggest that the Die Alignment IV coins, being more plentiful, probably represent the issue of 1837. The present research, however, indicates that neither the Die Alignment II nor the Die Alignment IV coins exist in sufficient numbers to represent the mintage value of 600; and that it is necessary to add together the Die Alignment II plus IV plus the intermediate alignment coins in order to obtain the known mintage figure for 1837. In support of this conclusion, the data in Table 4 can be mathematically scaled to estimate the mintage figures for the other possible coin alignments as follows: The 87 coins listed in the Die Alignment I category of Table 4 represent an initial mintage of 1000; therefore, a scaling factor of 11.5 (11.5=1000/87) indicates that only 8.7% (= 1/11.5) of the 1000 possible Die Alignment I coins were observed and are reported in Table 4. Assuming that the same scaling factor applies to the other observed alignments, we have an estimated mintage of: 115 (=11.5*10) for Die Alignment II coins, 58 (=11.5*5) for the intermediate alignment coins, 391 (=11.5*34) for the Die Alignment IV coins; and finally, 104 (=11.5*9) for the Die Alignment III coins. It is obvious that by themselves, neither the Die Alignment II or Die Alignment IV coins exist in sufficient numbers to represent the known mintage figure of 600. However, when we add the Alignment II, IV, and intermediate alignment coins together we get: 115 + 391 + 58 = 564; which is close to the known mintage figure of 600 for the issue of 1837. Consequently, the observed population data is consistent with the theory that the issue of 1837 consisted of Die Alignment II plus Die Alignment IV plus the intermediate alignment coins.

Table 4. Population data for Gobrecht Dollars observed in auction sales (top set of data) and at major coin shows (bottom set of data) from 1993 to August 2000. This data does not represent a scientific sample but rather a collection of all observations noted during this time period. Duplicate entries have been eliminated when known.

* Examined by the ANA Authentication Bureau and was classified as a Die Alignment II variant (shown as Figure 3). Coin weight is 415 grains.

** Shown as Figure 4.

*** The only circulated Die Alignment III coin that we have seen.

The present work performed for the Gobrecht Dollars issued in 1837, and other work concerning the issues of 1838 and 1839 (which has not been documented in this article) support Breen’s first theory (discussed in Reference 4) on how to distinguish the “restrikes” from the “originals”. However, Breen’s second theory (discussed in Reference 3) suggesting a correlation between die alignment and original versus restrike issues applies only to the 1000 coins issued in December of 1836 (e.g., the first set of originals in Die Alignment I), and to restrikes issued in Die Alignment III. It appears that the original issue of 1837 was made with various die alignments (II, IV, and intermediate alignments), some resulting from unintentional die rotation.

The primary observation and conclusion of the current research indicates that the 600 Gobrecht Dollars that were made in 1837 can be distinguished from those issued in 1836, and by the later year restrikes by the following characteristics: (1) the issue of 1836 was made on a “coin turn” basis (e.g., representing Die Alignment I - eagle flying upwards after a normal coin turn, with the Head of Liberty opposite the “DO” of “DOLLAR”); the issue of 1837 initially began in Die Alignment II; however, because of a gradual and accidental rotation of one die (probably the hammer die relative to the anvil die), a series of intermediate alignment coins were produced. Together, these coins show an apparent rotation of the reverse side relative to the obverse image. This gradual die rotation caused an entire spectrum of intermediate alignment coins to be manufactured (i.e., Die Alignment II, IV, and intermediate alignment coins). All of these coins have similar reverse die characteristics and most exist on heavy weight planchets. Unlike the Die Alignment III coins which almost always appear in high grade, the Die Alignment II/IV/and intermediate alignment coins appear in circulated conditions in relatively high frequency, like the issue of 1836.

It is the conclusion of the present research that the Die Alignment II, IV and intermediate coins are are all related and represent the issue of 1837. That is, the Die Alignment IV coins (the most plentiful examples), the Die Alignment II coins (scarce), and the intermediate alignment coins (relatively rare) were all made in 1837. In other words, all “medal alignment” Gobrecht Dollars represent the entire mintage of 600 as reported for March 1837.

References and Further Reading

1. David. T. Alexander, Editor, Coin World Comprehensive Catalog & Encyclopedia of United States Coins, 2nd Edition, Published by Amos Press Inc., 1998, pp. 237 and 435.

2. Walter Breen, Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of United States and Colonial Proof Coins 1722-1989, Published by Bowers and Merena Galleries Inc., 1977, pp. 64, 65, 69, 258, 259.

3. Walter Breen, Walter Breen’s Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, Published by F.C I. Press Inc. Doubleday, pp. 433-436.

4. Walter Breen, The Secret History of the Gobrecht Coinages 1836-1840, The Coin Collector’s Journal Sept.-Oct., Nov.-Dec., 1954, Published by Wayte Raymond Inc, Vol. 21, No. 5&6.

5. Q. David Bowers, Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States A Complete Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Published by Bowers and Merena Galleries Inc., 1993, Chapters 7 and 8 (pp. 495-534).

6. James C. Gray, “Gobrecht Dollars”, Issue #37 - November 1986, The Gobrecht Journal, Collective Volume Number Three, Published by the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, 1991, pp. 395-401 and 402-407.

7. Andrew W. Pollock III, United States Patterns and Related Issues, Published by Bowers and Merena Galleries Inc., pp. 30-33, 39-40, 44-45, 398-399.

8. R. W. Julian, “History sheds light on Gobrecht coins”, July 21, 1982, Coin World weekly newspaper, Volume 23 Issue 1162, continued in Volume 23 Issue 1164, (August 4, 1982), Volume 23 Issue 1175 (October 20, 1982), and issue of November 24, 1982.

9. R. W. Julian, “The Gobrecht Mystery Dollars”, Published in COINage magazine, June 1995, pp. 8, 9, and 12.

10. Alfred Z. Reed, “Origin Of The Gobrecht Myth”, Published in The Numismatist Vol. LIII No. 5, May 1940.

11. J. Hewitt Judd, M.D., United States Pattern, Experimental and Trial Pieces, Sixth Edition, Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1959-1977.