1775 So-Called Dollar HK-865d, Continental Eagle & Heron

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-865d, this tin Continental Dollar restrike carries the legendary FUGIO sundial and linked-rings design attributed to Benjamin Franklin. In 1962, Robert Bashlow acquired Dickeson's dies and commissioned August C. Frank Co. of Philadelphia to produce restrikes: 2,000 silver pieces (HK-852a, with small 'S' on reverse), 5,000 bronze (HK-853a), and 3,000 goldine/golden brass (HK-856a). Separately, Empire Coin Company had 7,200 white metal pieces (HK-854a) struck by John Pinches, Ltd. of England. Bashlow donated the dies to the Smithsonian Institution and also produced restrikes of the 1616 Sommer Islands, J.J. Conway $5 Gold, and the 1861 Confederate States Half Dollar. The Continental Dollar's design legacy extends beyond its own series: the FUGIO sundial and linked-rings motifs were adopted for the 1787 Fugio Cent, the first coin authorized by the United States Congress. Whether Franklin intended the message for Great Britain or for ordinary colonists remains debated. The Bashlow restrikes are collected both as numismatic curiosities and as accessible alternatives to the exceptionally rare 18th-century originals. The HK numbering system groups so-called dollars broadly by type: exposition and commemorative pieces in the lower numbers, with monetary, miscellaneous, and later additions in higher ranges. Lettered suffixes (a, b, c, d) typically indicate variant compositions or die states of the same basic design, while entries above HK-900 include pieces added in later catalog supplements.

Rarity Notes

Confederation Dollar variants in the HK-858 through HK-866 range survive in moderate numbers. Various compositions exist across the series. These pieces attract interest from collectors of both so-called dollars and early American coinage reproductions.

Cross References

HK-865d; PCGS #643640