1901 Silver Lesher Dollar HK-1019, H.A. Pease, Jeweler

Coin Details

Description

This Lesher Referendum Dollar (HK-1019) is a privately issued silver dollar produced by Joseph Lesher of Victor, Colorado, in the heart of the Cripple Creek mining district. This variety bears the counterstamp of W.F. White Merc. Co., a Grand Junction clothier. The merchants who accepted and counterstamped Lesher's dollars came from five Colorado towns plus one in Nebraska: J.M. Slusher, a Cripple Creek grocer (260 pieces); Sam Cohen, a Victor jeweler who later became a prominent New York attorney and authored 'Gold Rush De Luxe' in 1940 (50 pieces); D.W. Klein & Co., a Pueblo liquor dealer (100 pieces); George Mullen, a Victor shoemaker (100 pieces); Boyd Park, a Denver jeweler (150 pieces); W.C. Alexander, a Salida jeweler (50 pieces); and several others including Goodspeeds & Co. of Colorado Springs and J.E. Nelson & Co. of Holdrege, Nebraska. The first type, struck from dies cut by Frank Hurd of Denver, consisted of 100 octagonal pieces weighing one troy ounce (480 grains) of .950 fine silver with a face value of $1.25. The scheme attracted support from A.B. Bumstead, a Victor grocer, for whom a second, more elaborate octagonal type was produced featuring a mining scene designed by Herman Otto, a Denver artist, with approximately 700 pieces manufactured. A brief round 'Bank Type' experiment (about 10 die trials) was quickly abandoned, and in 1901 Lesher produced a smaller (32mm), lighter (412.5 grains) octagonal imprint type at $1.00 face value with approximately 800 pieces across nine merchant varieties. 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

Lesher Referendum Dollars are rare across all varieties, with total mintage estimated at only a few hundred pieces per type. The H.A. Pease, Jeweler variety is rare, with only a small number of known examples. These pieces are highly prized by collectors of both so-called dollars and Western Americana.

Cross References

HK-1019; PCGS #643782