1778 So-Called Dollar HK-859, Continental Congress Confederation

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as HK-859, this tin Continental Dollar restrike carries the legendary FUGIO sundial and linked-rings design attributed to Benjamin Franklin. The Continental Currency Dollar of 1776 is one of the most iconic pieces in early American numismatics. Its obverse features a sundial with the sun's rays, the Latin motto FUGIO ('I fly,' referring to time), and MIND YOUR BUSINESS — a rebus attributed to Benjamin Franklin meaning 'time flies, so attend to your affairs.' The reverse displays thirteen linked rings, each bearing a colony's name, surrounding AMERICAN CONGRESS and WE ARE ONE. Dies were cut by Elisha Gallaudet, a New York engraver, who struck the pieces using a makeshift private mint in Freehold, New Jersey. The original was produced in pewter, brass, and silver, though no contemporaneous authorization from the Continental Congress has been found. 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. So-called dollars acquired their name because they are not true dollar coins but rather privately issued medals that approximate the size and weight of U.S. silver dollars. The collecting specialty emerged in the early 20th century and was formalized by the Hibler-Kappen catalog, which organized hundreds of diverse pieces — from exposition medals to political tokens to private monetary experiments — into a coherent collecting framework.

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-859; PCGS #643608