1900 Bryan Dollar HK-782, Gorham Mfg. Co., S-10

Coin Details

Description

HK-782 is a 1900 Bryan Dollar from the series of political medals produced during the presidential campaigns when the silver question divided the nation. This piece was manufactured by Gorham Mfg. Co.. Bryan lost to William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900, then lost to William Howard Taft in 1908. He served as Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915, negotiating peace treaties with thirty nations before resigning over Wilson's confrontational stance toward Germany after the Lusitania sinking. Bryan later became famous for his prosecution role in the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' in Dayton, Tennessee, where he died on July 26, 1925, five days after the trial concluded. Gorham Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island, founded in 1831, was the world's largest silver company and produced several Bryan Dollar varieties with distinctive cartwheel reverses. This variety is distinguished by its specifications: 870 Grains, 52mm, July 4, 1900, cartwheel reverse. William Jennings Bryan, born March 19, 1860, in Salem, Illinois, delivered his legendary 'Cross of Gold' speech at the Chicago Coliseum on July 9, 1896, closing the platform debate on the third day of the Democratic National Convention. The relatively unknown Nebraska delegate electrified the hall and secured the Democratic nomination on the fifth ballot at age 36, becoming the youngest presidential nominee in American history. Bryan championed bimetallism at a ratio of sixteen ounces of silver to one ounce of gold, arguing that expanding the money supply through silver coinage would relieve the crushing debt burden on farmers and workers. 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

Bryan Dollars survive in varying numbers depending on the manufacturer and variety. Gorham-manufactured pieces are among the more available Bryan Dollar varieties.

Cross References

HK-782