Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) has announced that they have authenticated a newly discovered 1798 Draped Bust dollar variety.
Long speculated but never before confirmed, the variety features a marriage of known obverse and reverse dies but the combination is unique to this newly certified Bust dollar.
"The obverse die used for striking this coin is the one used for 1798 B-13, BB-108 and for 1798 B-10, BB-109. The Heraldic Eagle design reverse is the die used for 1798 B-18, BB-103 and 1798 B-22, BB-104," explained PCGS President Don Willis. "This discovery coin is confirmation of a new die marriage."
PCGS attributes early U.S. dollars, 1794 to 1804, by both Bolender (B) and Bowers-Borckardt (BB) reference numbers. This new die marriage has reference numbers of 1798 B-34, BB-126.
The discovered 1798 Draped Bust dollar variety has been certified as PCGS Cleaned With V(ery) F(ine) Details. It instantly attracted attention in the grading room at PCGS headquarters in Orange County, California.
"It is not every day something new is discovered in U.S. numismatics, and there was a bit of a buzz," recalled Steven Poliquin, PCGS Grader/Variety Attributor. "I hope this coin fits well into someone’s collection."
There was speculation for decades that this die combination might exist, notes PCGS.
"It is somewhat important to note that the strike on the reverse of this new 1798 B-34, BB-126 die marriage is very similar to the strike on the 1798 B-18, BB-103," stated W. David Perkins, a Colorado collector and early American dollars researcher who assisted PCGS with the coin’s attribution.
"There are only six specimens of the extremely rare B-18, BB-103 die marriage known to me. All six are in lower grades, and have a similar strike and look. All are in lower grades with the finest known graded PCGS F15," Perkins added.
For information about PCGS, visit www.PCGS.com.
