Lot 2854
1797 Draped Bust Dollar. 9 stars left, 7 right, large letters. . B-1, BB-73, Rarity 3. PCGS graded AU-55. Beautiful golden toning with blue and light green undertone. A fair degree of luster pokes out shyly from behind many devices and legends on the choice surfaces of this exciting small eagle bust dollar. The strike is crisp in most places, a standard for BB-73, though some weakness is noted at the central hair and eagle. Pop 3; 1 in AU58. (PCGS # 40003) .
When Henry William DeSaussure became director of the Mint on July 9, 1795, in place of David Rittenhouse, he was faced with a situation few men would have wanted. Attacks on the Mint were being fanned by political enemies of the president. There was widespread belief that the institution had not done its job in providing coins to the public, especially in the precious metal denominations. And there was a certain amount of criticism of the current designs on the silver coins (though modern collectors generally consider the flowing hair design a good one).
Who instigated the design change to the draped bust motif isn't exactly clear, although conventional opinion, based on little more than the fact that DeSaussure happened to be Mint director at the time, says that he was responsible for the new head of Liberty.
Estimated Value $18,000 - 20,000.
The Dr. Hesselgesser Duplicate Bust Dollar Collection.
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| Realized $29,900 |
