IVAN CHARLES MICHELS (1829-1906)

Michels The Current Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations book cover

This week I pulled out a 145-year-old book to hold in my hands rather than read it on the Newman Numismatic Portal. Sorry Len! I was interested to find the source of a story about the 1804 Dollar that was quoted in several newspaper accounts.

As a service for those who don't want to bother pulling out the book, I will quote It here. This is taken from a book by Ivan C. Michels published in 1880, The Current Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations… The full title runs 19 lines in the front of the book. My 1884 copy is noted as the fifth edition.

"This dollar has become exceedingly scarce, and the last sale of a fine specimen was made at one thousand dollars a piece. Of this dollar, according to returns of United States Mint records, 19,570 pieces were struck, and with the exception of a few, were all exported to Africa to pay the soldiers and sailors engaged in the war against Tripoli. On the 10th of June, 1801, the bashow of Tripoli declared war against the United States; but no further notice was taken of the declaration until 1803, when Commander Preble was sent to Tripoli with a large squadron. On the 31st of October, 1803, Captain Bainbridge was sent into the harbor of Tripoli to reconnoitre. His vessel. The "Philadelphia," of 44 guns, advanced too far in eager pursuit of a small Tripolitan gunboat, and struck on a rock. The officers were treated as prisoners of war, but the crew were made slaves. In 1804, Lieutenant Stephen Decator was ordered to recapture the "Philadelphia," which he promptly accomplished. As it was impossible to take her out, she was set on fire and abandoned. Soon after, Tripoli was bombarded several times by the U. S. ships of war. In 1804, an expedition was started from the United States against Tripoli, headed by Captain Eaton and Hamet Carmanly, exile and elder brother of the bashaw of Tripoli. Their march lay across a thousand miles of desert; yet it was accomplished, with indescribable fatigue and suffering, in fifty days. To pay the expenses of this little army of mounted Arabs and seventy American seamen, these 1804 dollars were shipped to the coast of Africa, and only very few of them, if any, were brought back by the returned victor. A few years ago ten pieces of the 1804 Dollars were struck from the old original sites at the U. S. Mint in Philadelphia and distributed. All but two or three were afterwards called in by order of our government, and to this day the coin cabinet of the Philadelphia Mint exhibits one 1804 Dollar struck in 1804, and another with the same date, but of the later issue."

Another version of this story is used to explain the disappearance of half eagles of 1801.

I thought to check on the reliability of Michels by seeing what he had to say about the 1792 half disme.

"This is popularly supposed to represent the features of Martha Washington, who is said to have sat for the artist while he was designing it. The coin is said to have been struck from the private plate of Washington, which is not unlikely, considering the great interest he took in the operation of the infant mint, visiting it frequently, and personally superintending many of its affairs."

It is obvious that the book required a lot of research and access to Mint records. There is no bibliography or list of sources. Perhaps comparison to previous sources will turn up matches.

Thus the Michels book should not be considered a reliable source of information but rather an amusing time capsule of the state of numismatic knowledge in 1880.

Ivan C. Michels was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1829, and graduated from the University at St. Petersburg at age twenty-one. His father was also Ivan Charles Michels of French ancestry. His mother was Anna Damidoff of Russian ancestry.

Ivan came to America in 1856 as a correspondent for publications in Russian, French and German. He was a specialist in economics and statistics.

Michels published United States Druggists Directory first for 1859-1860. His address was 274 South Third Street in Philadelphia.

In 1863, he published Philadelphia Coal Oil Circular. An ad stated that he "has travelled over every continent on the globe and is master of seven languages."

Michels lived in New York during 1869-1875 and worked as an editor while living at 49 Cedar.

In April 1870, he was sued for libel by the publisher of another German language newspaper.

In 1870, while living at 49 Cedar Street, Michels was the publisher of Druggist's Price Current. He was also proprietor of a small German language Sunday paper, Die Laterne von New York.

In September 1870, Michels was elected president of the German Legal Aid Society of New York.

On Monday, October 10, 1870, four large men entered his office and attacked him with a club. They were scared off by his pistol shot. They were upset about the newspaper coverage of their insurance company.

In July 1875, Michels filed a suit against the Postmaster over an increase in postal rates. He lost the case.

For years prior to 1875, Michels collected translations of The Lord's Prayer into the various languages of the world. He had a goal of a thousand languages but by 1875, he had only acquired 814 languages. In 1876 he exhibited a manuscript that had 500 translations. For this he was awarded a medal at the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition.

In 1878 (The year the first Morgan Dollars were struck) he went to India to study the effects of American silver purchases. He returned after a year in India and China.

In 1883, he ran an ad in Frossard's Numisma, from P. O. Box 1636 in Philadelphia. He was looking to buy numismatic publications.

In 1885 he was elected secretary for the National Bi-Metallic Association executive committee and provided statistics to support the free-silver movement. He later changed his mind and worked against the movement.

Michels produced an 1887 pamphlet on The "True Cause of the Decline in the Prices for Wheat and a Remedy". This supported a proposal or the free coinage of silver.

In 1888 he was official statistician of the United States senate committee of mines and mining. He was frequently quoted on production figures for gold and silver.

A contemporary was an actress, Madame Ivan C. Michels, a/k/a Mary Ann Tyrrel (1812-1894).

Michels died at home at 109 E Street Northeast, Washington, D.C., after a lingering illness on March 16, 1906. He was cremated.

I searched the newspapers.com site with the keywords of "1804 Dollar" and Tripoli. There were many times the story was repeated after 1880 but none before. I am not aware of any source prior to 1880. The Philadelphia Press had a reaction to the story. "However, it is in print in Mr. Michels' book, and ought to be true."