STACKS BOWERS: 1836 JUDD-60 GOBRECHT DOLLARS

Few issues in the canon of American coins are as confusing as the Gobrecht silver dollars of 1836, 1838, and 1839. Originally cataloged by J. Hewitt Judd as patterns, more recent scholarship has determined that at least 1,000 pieces of Judd-60 were struck for circulation in December 1836. Today, numismatic scholars recognize four different die alignments for Gobrecht dollars, designated as I (coin turn, eagle flying upwards), II (medal turn, eagle flying upwards), III (coin turn, eagle flying level with respect to obverse), and IV (medal turn, eagle flying level with respect to obverse). When Walter Breen wrote his Complete Encyclopedia in 1988, he considered Die Alignment I examples of the Judd-60 Name on Base issue to be originals from 1836 and Die Alignment II pieces to be from a mintage of 600 pieces delivered in March of 1837. He regarded Die Alignment III and IV pieces as restrikes.

This view had been challenged by the early 1990s, when it was found that many Die Alignment IV pieces evinced signs of circulation, suggesting that they had been made for that purpose and not to accommodate coin collectors. Modern research by Craig Sholley, John Dannreuther, and Saul Teichman (based on an exhaustive examination of die state evidence), reported that the die alignment sequence of Judd-60 Gobrecht dollars is actually I-IV-II-IV-I-IV. All examples in these alignments are originals attributed to the December 1836 issue of 1,000 coins; the 600 pieces struck in March 1837 represent a test striking, and all were subsequently melted. Die alignment III pieces are still regarded as restrikes coined decades later than 1836. Andrew Pollock in his United States Patterns and Related Issues considered Die Alignment II and III pieces as the scarcest alignment varieties, followed by IV. He regarded Die Alignment I pieces to be the most readily available.

Our Global Showcase Auction features Gobrecht dollars from the ANS Collection (which were once a part of the Dr. Julius Korein Collection, and are being sold for the benefit of the American Numismatic Society). Included are examples of each of the three Die Alignments attributed to the original 1,000-coin mintage of December 1836.

The Die Alignment I coin is graded Proof-62 by PCGS and has a CMQ approval sticker. A lovely and nearly choice example that is a wonderful example for this type.

The Die Alignment II coin is graded Proof-58 by PCGS and has a CMQ sticker. This piece has just some light rub and a few light scratches that keep it from an Uncirculated grade.

The Die Alignment IV coin is a PCGS Proof-50 and was approved by CMQ. Lightly worn, this piece clearly spent some time in circulation, as was the purpose of these original Judd-60s.

This trio presents an important opportunity for Liberty Seated specialists to enrich their collection with the first issues struck for circulation featuring Christian Gobrecht's iconic design.

To read the complete article, see:
Trio of 1836 Judd-60 Gobrecht Dollars Show Three Distinctive Die Alignments Creating a Complete Set of Alignments (https://stacksbowers.com/trio-of-1836-judd-60-gobrecht-dollars-show-three-distinctive-die-alignments-creating-a-complete-set-of-alignments/)

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