JULIUS DREIFUS AND THE 1804 DOLLAR

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V23 2020 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 52, December 27, 2020, Article 16

Pete Smith submitted this article on the background of the Dreifus-Rosenthal specimen of the 1804 dollar, now residing in the collection of the ANS. Thanks! -Editor

Superintendent of the Philadelphia Mint, Oliver Bosbyshell, wrote a letter to James W. Ellsworth on February 15, 1894, authenticating an 1804 dollar in his possession. The Bosbyshell letter stated:

“The 1804 Silver Dollar purchased by me, for you today, from Mr. Isaac Rosenthal of 190 Berks Street, this city, came into his possession in the following manner: A Mr. Julius Driefus, Nos. 3 & 4 South Wharves, Alexandria, Va. does business for Mr. Rosenthal, and borrowed money from him. Mr. Driefus met with a colored man who had this dollar for forty years, that he received it from his father, who was a freedman -the father kept the dollar because it either was the date of his birth, or the date he became a freedman...”

Also attesting that this was a genuine dollar struck in 1804 were curator Robert A. McClure, engraver Charles E. Barber, assayer Jacob B. Eckfeldt, and A. Louden Snowden. With this testimonial of authenticity, Ellsworth bought the dollar, now known as the Driefus-Rosenthal Specimen. This was later acquired by Farran Zerbe, exhibited with the Chase National Bank Collection and acquired by the American Numismatic Society in 1978.

The Bosbyshell letter refers to Julius Driefus, but the Newman – Bressett book on The Fantastic 1804 Dollar refers to him as W. Julius Driefus. That added initial letter adds to the confusion. In his book, The Rare Silver Dollars Dated 1804, Q. David Bowers expressed some skepticism about the pedigree since the coin, a class III 1804 dollar, had been produced less than 40 years earlier.

Earlier this month (December 2020) I attempted to find more biographical information about W. Julius Driefus. Every mention led back to the Bosbyshell letter but there was no independent confirmation that such a man lived in Alexandria at that time. I began to believe that the Bosbyshell pedigree was a fabrication to add support for the fabricated dollars of 1804.

Then I made a discovery and more facts fell into place. The Findagrave site lists Julius Dreifus, born on August 27, 1841, and died on September 6, 1910. The site lists his parents, siblings, spouses and children.

The difference in spelling, from Driefus to Dreifus may be understood as coming from transmission of information by word-of-mouth, rather than a written record. With this corrected spelling, I found a photo of his building and copies of business ads.

I had trouble locating Nos. 3 and 4 South Wharves and asked for help. Wayne Homren referred me to Joe Esposito. He reported that the location was at South Union and King Streets and now had a Starbucks. This would represent a gentrification over the junk shop that was there about 1893.

These discoveries do not prove that Dreifus owned an 1804 dollar, but they do prove there was a man and location that match the Bosbyshell story.

Thanks. This is the second time in as many weeks that the Findagrave site has assisted an E-Sylum numismatic researcher in locating information. Remember that the next time you're looking for a person - nearly everyone who's lived in recent centuries ends up in a cemetary or mausoleum. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ROBERT J. DODGE (1825-1892) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n51a20.html)