1776 So-Called Dollar HK-854a, Continental Dollar Fantasy Dollar

Coin Details

Auction Record

$411 MS66 02-07-2013 Heritage Auctions

Description

Cataloged as HK-854a, this tin Continental Dollar restrike carries the legendary FUGIO sundial and linked-rings design attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Prof. Montroville W. Dickeson produced Continental Dollar copies during the 1876 United States Centennial celebration in Philadelphia. Thomas K. DeLorey's planchet analysis corrected the earlier attribution of these pieces to Thomas L. Elder. Dickeson struck pieces primarily in white metal (hundreds) and copper (a few handfuls), with limited production in silver (only 50 according to John W. Haseltine), plus gold, pewter, and lead variants. These Centennial restrikes are cataloged as HK-852 through HK-856. After completing production, Bashlow donated the dies to the Smithsonian Institution, ensuring that mintage figures could never increase. 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 so-called dollar collecting community has grown significantly since the Hibler-Kappen catalog's initial publication, with specialized dealers, dedicated reference works, and an active collector base supporting a market that values historical significance, artistic merit, rarity, and condition. Heritage Auctions, Stack's Bowers, and other major numismatic auction houses regularly feature so-called dollars in their sales.

Rarity Notes

Continental Dollar variants are collected by specialists in early American numismatics.

Cross References

HK-854a; PCGS #643600