1883 Hawaiian Regular Issues

About This Coin

In 1883 and 1884 the San Francisco Mint struck one million dollars in silver for the Kingdom of Hawaii under a contract arranged by Claus Spreckels: 250,000 dimes, 500,000 quarters, 700,000 half dollars and 500,000 dollars, all dated 1883 and without a mint mark. Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber designed them, with King Kalakaua on the obverse. The reverse motto, UA MAU KE EA O KA AINA I KA PONO, is usually translated "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"; the words are attributed to Kamehameha III in 1843, and the phrase became Hawaii's state motto in 1959. Not everyone wanted the coinage: fearing inflation in a recession, Sanford B. Dole and other businessmen sued to stop it and lost when the full court reversed an early ruling in their favor. Proofs were made separately for presentation. Most of the larger coins were melted after the Kingdom became an American territory.