1797 $1 10x6 Stars MS(PCGS#6865)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auktionator

Stack's Bowers

Losnummer

2105

Erhaltungsgrad

XF45

Preis

13.800

Losbeschreibung

BB Die State III, Salyards Die State II. This handsome piece exhibits even olive-gray obverse toning that is confined to the peripheries on the otherwise pewter gray reverse. The strike is well centered with complete denticulation around both sides, the design elements retaining plenty of bold to sharp detail after a relatively brief stint in active circulation. Visually appealing for this challenging type, there is much to recommend this coin to discerning early dollar enthusiasts.<p>The admission of Tennessee into the Union in 1797 presented a conundrum for Mint engravers regarding adding a 16th star to the obverse. Three known obverse dies have been identified for the 1797-dated silver dollar issue with the stars arranged in two configurations. Two dies were prepared with nine stars left, seven right and a solitary die with 10 stars left, six stars right. While it had been customary to add a star for each new state, this was becoming unsustainable. In 1798 the number was fixed at 13 to reflect the original colonies, though there was a 15-star obverse that was briefly used that same year. Typical for early Mint records, the precise number struck is not known. The official mintage of 7,776 silver dollars struck that calendar year is exceptionally low considering the number of coins extant for all varieties of the 1797-dated issue. In fact, Harry E. Salyards (2022) estimates that 41,872 coins were struck from the Stars 10x6 die pairing, now known as BB-71, which includes 30,372 delivered on January 5, 1798, and an additional 11,500 or so delivered February 16, 1798. Of the 650 to 1,100 believed extant, few are better than VF, and this Choice EF with CAC approval is exceptionally well preserved for the attribution. It is a significant coin worthy of the strongest bids.