1778 HK-866a, Confederation Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-866a, this Confederation period restrike draws on the visual vocabulary of Revolutionary-era American monetary design. Struck in a remarkable range of materials including copper, brass, German-silver, white metal, silver, aluminum, lead, and fiber at a standard 39mm diameter, the Confederation Dollars represent the full spectrum of medallic metallurgy. The silver variants are the scarcest — HK-860a was limited to just 35 pieces — while copper and white metal examples are the most commonly encountered. The Perseverando varieties include date variants (May 10th, Nov. 29th, April 11th) corresponding to specific Continental Congress currency emissions, and only 50 copper HK-864 examples were struck. The Confederation Dollar series (HK-857 through HK-866) comprises later reproductions of designs drawn from Continental Congress currency of the Articles of Confederation period (1778-1789). Three primary design sources appear: the Confederation vignette from $40 bills (an all-seeing eye over a flaming altar with 13 stars, HK-857 through HK-860d and HK-866 series); the Perseverando beaver design from $6 bills (Latin for 'By Persevering,' HK-863 through HK-863d); and the Eagle and Heron imagery from $3 bills (with the motto 'The End Is in Doubt,' HK-864 through HK-865d). 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

Confederation Dollar variants in the HK-858 through HK-866 range survive in moderate numbers. Copper and bronze examples are the most commonly encountered. These pieces attract interest from collectors of both so-called dollars and early American coinage reproductions.

Cross References

HK-866a; PCGS #643642