1836 Gobrecht Silver Dollar. Name Below Base. Judd-58 Restrike, Pollock-61. Rarity-6-. Silver. Plain Edge. Die Alignment III. Proof-63 (PCGS). Korein 79. 26.7 grams (412.04 grains). Libertys head is opposite the letters ON in ONE. Lovely Choice Proof quality for this fabled variety in the challenging Gobrecht dollar series. Both sides are attractively toned, the obverse more deeply so with gentle mottling to sandy-gold, steel-olive and copper-rose iridescence. For the reverse we note more of a silver-gray appearance with delicate sandy-olive iridescence appearing to drift toward the border. When the coin dips into a light a universally reflective finish comes readily to view, although the design elements do show light mint frost. The strike is full, as befits the care with which these cabinet coin specimens were produced, and there are only faint hairlines and trivial marks from numismatic handling standing in the way of a higher Choice grade. This is an attractive example of a rare and coveted type that is eagerly awaiting inclusion in a world class cabinet. DTS Die State C.<p>The origin myth that Philadelphia dealer Ed Cogan recounted in the pages of the <em>American Journal of Numismatics</em>, suggesting that this was the original Gobrecht dollar design, stuck with this issue for more than a century. The real story is very nearly the opposite, as modern research has shown the obverse of this popular rarity to be the last of the Gobrecht dies created. It likely was sunk about 1858, using the central device punch from Judd-60, the Name on Base type, from which Gobrechts name was eventually effaced. The name was placed in the field below the central design to create this new Name Below Base variety, tailor-made for contemporary collectors. After Ed Cogan wrote about this type, word spread that just 18 specimens were struck, and dollar specialists have considered this a prime rarity ever since.<p>The Die Alignment III and DTS Die State C attributions confirm this specimen as having been struck circa 1859 to 1864 by Henry R. Linderman, et al. This is the second striking period for these Name Below Base specimens, and distinct from the first striking period of 1858 to 1860 during with Die Alignment IV DTS Die State A and B coins were produced. DTS Die State D and E coins also come in Die Alignment III and were made in 1869. All were made during an era when demand for rare patterns, restrikes and related coins reached a fever pitch and the executives of the United States Mint were happy to create a supply. The numbers distributed, however, were almost certainly limited as this was essentially a made-to-order delicacy for collectors. The <em>gobrechtdollars.com</em> website accounts for perhaps two dozen examples of Judd-58 in numismatic hands, most of which are in Die Alignment III. The offered coin is one of six that were part of the remarkable Korein Collection, two in Die Alignment IV and the other four in Die Alignment III.<p>Today, the Name Below Base Gobrecht dollar continues to intrigue numismatists, the beauty of the design, its mythical origin and the rarity of specimens all combining to create a must-have coin for the advanced collector. With examples usually appearing on the open market only once in a long while, the significance of this offering can hardly be overstated. PCGS# 11217. NGC ID: BLWU. From the Julius Korein Collection, sold to benefit the American Numismatic Society.
