1901 Silver Lesher Dollar HK-1020, Attorney Will. H. Brown

Coin Details

Description

This Lesher Referendum Dollar (HK-1020) documents Joseph Lesher's grassroots Free Silver experiment — he called them 'Referendum' dollars because no one was compelled to accept them; they were referred to the people for acceptance or rejection. This 1901 variety is from the second year of production. Lesher's private coinage operated in a legal gray area regarding the federal government's monopoly on currency issuance. According to his 1914 interview with Farran Zerbe (1871-1949), the legendary ANA figure, government agents seized the dies used for the initial and Bumstead types. However, the American Numismatic Society collection, donated by Zerbe himself (including 2 obverse dies, 1 reverse die, 2 punches, and 3 bed plates), complicates the seizure narrative. Zerbe published his account in the American Journal of Numismatics in 1917, and Lesher estimated his total production at 3,000 to 3,500 pieces. The H. Stein variety is unique, known from only one surviving example, making it among the rarest pieces in the entire so-called dollar series. The Lesher Referendum Dollars are cataloged from HK-787 through HK-797 and HK-1016 through HK-1021 in the Hibler-Kappen reference. With approximately 20 varieties including sub-varieties, every Lesher Dollar is genuinely rare. Robert D. Leonard Jr., Ken L. Hallenbeck, and Adna G. Wilde Jr. published the definitive modern study 'Forgotten Colorado Silver: Joseph Lesher's Defiant Coins.' Joseph Lesher died at his home in Victor on July 4, 1918, but his coins endure as prized specimens among so-called dollar specialists and Western Americana enthusiasts. The HK numbering system groups so-called dollars broadly by type: exposition and commemorative pieces in the lower numbers, with monetary, miscellaneous, and later additions in higher ranges. Lettered suffixes (a, b, c, d) typically indicate variant compositions or die states of the same basic design, while entries above HK-900 include pieces added in later catalog supplements.

Rarity Notes

Lesher Referendum Dollars are rare across all varieties, with total mintage estimated at only a few hundred pieces per type. The Attorney Will. H. Brown 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-1020; PCGS #643784