1836 Dollar Pattern - X-25, "Republic of Texas"

Coin Details

Auction Record

$2,400 MS64 11-18-2020 Stack's Bowers

Description

This silver fantasy piece, cataloged as X-25 (also referenced as Cuhaj-X25), bears the date 1836 but was almost certainly produced around 1950, inspired by the Texas Centennial celebrations of the mid-1930s. Measuring approximately 41.6 mm in diameter and weighing about 26.8 grams, the piece is struck in silver. The obverse depicts an eagle perched on a branch before a large five-pointed star — the Lone Star symbol of Texas — surrounded by the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The reverse features a kneeling winged angel with outstretched wings, the Alamo mission in the background, and the six flags of the nations that governed Texas displayed above. Portraits of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin appear in oval frames flanking the central design, with a LIBERTY banner completing the composition. Despite its 1836 date and dollar-sized format, this is not a product of the United States Mint or the Republic of Texas (which never minted its own coinage). With a reported mintage of just 22 pieces, it exists in the numismatic borderland between commemorative medal and fantasy coin. The piece is sometimes encountered alongside Gobrecht dollar patterns in reference works due to its shared date and denomination, though it has no connection to official Mint pattern production.