Lafayette Dollar--A Numismatic Treasure

While I like that coin very much, my favorite Lafayette Dollar that I found during my research is the Duvall 3-D PCGS MS65 that I used in my die varieties post. Here is a photo of the obverse & reverse of the coin that sold for considerably less @ $13,800.



http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=444&Lot_No=1152

The yellow and blue toning is absolutely spectacular and the die variety is much more rare than the MS67 which appears to be a Duvall 1-B.

 

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Did it circulate? I'd be surprised that there are many XF coins.

Ruben

 

I don't think they circulated via commerce but they were marketed to and purchased by many who were not coin collectors. As a result, many of the Lafayette Dollars were mishandled, cleaned, polished, whizzed etc. There are many XF examples of Lafayette Dollars out there. Heritage alone has sold over 50 net graded XF Lafayette Dollars. Check this one out that is as cool as the other side of the pillow. An ANACS Cleaned G6 Details.



It still sold for $172.

 

Very Thorough...its been added so you don't need to ask this time

Ruben

 

Paul, Great post! Thanks for the education!

 

An EXCELLENT presentation of the different varieties! Thank you very much.

 

It occurs to me that since 14,000 of these were melted, the scarce varieties are a direct result of the melt. What if there were other dies used whose entire populations were melted. The 14,000 coins sat around for 45 years before they were melted. It would have been fun to sit there and look for a new variety.

 

if your a very patient fellow..which I'm not.

 

Normally I don't like die varieties. But in this case, they are so easily identifiable with easy to find diagnostics, I think it would be fun. At least for the first several hundred.

 

That's a great post, very informative, about a coin I didn't even know the existence of !!

Thanks
Q

 

My pleasure. Are you French or do you just live there. Have you seen the Lafayette Monument in Paris?

 

Outstanding Job Paul! I hope you don't mind if I post a link to this lesson when I do this topic for my series on Classic Commems on STELLA Coin News.

http://www.stellacoinnews.com/index.php/category/reference-library/collective-commems/


Here is some info about the Duval 4E Variety:

http://www.dominiongrading.com/disp...3d9776841-197C4FF9-F1FF-8DD7-C4E0CE1A8792701C

Gotta love the history associated with the Classic Commem Series!

 

French and living there. And ashamed to say that, although I've visited Paris many times, I never come across visiting Lafayette monument. Will do next time I swear :high5:

Q

 

Go right ahead.

 

What interests me is WHY are the varieties so easy to see. The Mint had gone to full hubs nearly 60 years earlier but these dies show all the evidence of having been created through the use of individual punches. And why so many dies for what was a relatively small mintage.

 

From what I gathered in my research, the production of the Lafayette Dollars was extremely rushed. There was a mention that using punches saved time. As for the use of so many dies, I don't know. The pressed used to create the dollars was very old an out of date. Maybe that had something to do with it.

 

There may be a minimum number of dies the machine needs to work with?


Ruben

 

No the early presses were single die pair presses. They didn't start using dual and quad presses until later in the 20th century.

The thought about using punches because the coin being a rush job may be a good one though. Also it might make more sense to create a die using punches rather than go through all the trouble of making a master hub and the hubbing working dies from it.

 

This is a great thread! I will refer to it if I ever decide to shop for one.

 

Lehigh, this is a terrific thread.

I didn't appreciate the fact that I walked by this statue every day for 3 months until reading your post!

Another interesting tidbit, is that Princess Di's Flame monument is on the opposite end of the Place de l'Alma.

The monument rests on a very small patch of greenery (only in Paris would you classify it as a park) but is a nice location not far from the Eiffel Tower.