The press, in discussing the merits of this pattern piece, made some uncalled for remarks about the conceited German putting his name so conspicuously on the coin, and it hurt the old gentleman’s feelings so much, that he, immediately after reading this criticism, took his name off the die.” — Edward Cogan, relating the origin myth of the Name Below Base Gobrecht dollar, American Journal of Numismatics, June 1867</em>With superlative toning, near flawless surfaces, and a legendary provenance, the Pogue Name Below Base Gobrecht dollar is one of the most desirable examples known of this variety. The fields on both sides are deeply mirrored, surrounding devices struck well enough to educe every fine detail from the dies. The force of the strike has upset a fin or wire rim around both sides from 5:00 to 11:00. Carefully preserved since its moment of striking, this coin’s featureless obverse field shows only very minor hairlines and a single small mark near the denticles just above 3:00. Several lintmarks are noted, including one immediately left of C. GOBRECHT F., another near the elbow of Liberty’s pole arm, one left of the base of the cap, and another at the denticles near 11:00, parallel to Liberty’s lips. The immaculate reverse shows lintmarks below A of DOLLAR and left of the star under C of AMERICA. The toning is ancient and lovely, featuring light tones of blue and rose on the obverse that appear milky gray away from a light source but erupt into a cavalcade of pastels in a direct beam. The reverse is similar but more intense, with milky gray tones yielding a spectacular range of blue, violet, and rose that bespeaks ancient and well-guarded originality. Though the obverse still appears fresh and new, the reverse is cracked and nearing the end of its useful existence. A long crack connects the tops of NITED STATES O, while a more delicate crack joins the bases of OLLA in DOLLAR. A very light crack crosses the denticles above OF AME, and a short spur of a crack extends from the wing pointing at O of OF. The presence of some very subtle spalling eruptions, including one between the bottom serifs of A in STATES, along with a die line within U of UNITED, place this as Die State D, as defined by John Dannreuther, Saul Teichman, and Craig Sholley. 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 over 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 Gobrecht’s name had been effaced. The name was placed below the central design to create a new variety, tailor-made for contemporary collectors. After Ed Cogan wrote about this type, word spread that just 18 were struck, and dollar specialists have considered this a prime rarity ever since.This coin’s provenance is unbroken for over a century. The James B. Wilson collection was renowned for its fine quality and antiquity, having been largely formed in the 1880s. This coin was among those singled out by Thomas L. Elder in the catalog’s introduction. When Elder offered Wilson’s extraordinary cabinet in 1908, this coin was acquired by Albert Holden, Emery May Norweb’s father. It remained in the Norweb family collection for 80 years. When it resurfaced in 1988, it was described by Chris Napolitano in the pages of <em>The Gobrecht Journal</em> as “an incredible 1836 restrike dollar, conservatively graded PF-65.” Today, it is among the finest known survivors in either private or institutional hands, and is the single finest example seen by PCGS.PCGS# 11217. NGC ID: 25LY.
