Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1. The eagle motif was punched into the steel blank.
2. The wreath motif was punched into the die.
3.Wreath details were added and/or strengthened, the wreath apex was completed, leaves were punched into the right side of the die (left side of the coin) where the wreath is above the eagle's wing, the branch ends were added, and the lettering UNITED STATES OF AMERICA was added around the border.
The WII wreath punch was more sophisticated than that used for WI, in that most of the berries were in place on WII as were' nearly all of the final leaves (except at the apex). Thus, it is certain that WII reverse dies were made later than WI reverse dies. In general, reverses with WII wreaths appear bolder than those with WI wreaths. The structure and appearance of individual leaves in WII wreaths is similar to that on leaves on the reverse of the 1795 Draped Bust obverse, Small Eagle reverse dollars, further indicating that the WII reverse style was the latest made before the end of the Flowing Hair coinage. I believe that WII wreaths were not made before late summer or autumn 1795.
Distribution of varieties (by reverses):
Varieties with EI Eagle (6 tail feathers) and WI Wreath (2 leaves under each wing):
Reverse Die No.EI-WI-1: Used to strike 1795 BB-11. Reverse Die No. EI-WI-2: Used to strike 1795 BB-12. Reverse Die No. EI-WI-3: Used to strike 1795 BB-13 and BB-14.
Reverse Die No. EI-WI4: Used to strike 1795 BB-15 and BB-16.
Reverse Die No. EI-WI-5: Used to strike 1795 BB-17. Reverse Die No. EI-WI-6: Used to strike 1795 BB-20,BB- 21, and BB-24.
Reverse Die No. EI-WI-7: Used to strike 1795 BB-23.
Varieties with EI Eagle (6 tail feathers) and WII Wreath (3 leaves under each wing):
Reverse Die No. EI-WII-1: Used to strike 1795 BB-18 and BB-19.
Varieties with Ell Eagle (5 tail feathers) and WI Wreath (2 leaves under each wing):
None.
Varieties with Ell Eagle (5 tail feathers) and WII Wreath (3 leaves under each wing):
Reverse Die No. EII-WII-1: Used to strike 1795 BB-25, BB- 26, and BB-27.
1795 Die Combinations
(Flowing Hair Type)
PI Obverse/EI-WI Reverse: 1795 BB-11, BB-12, BB-13, BB-14, BB-16, and BB-17.
PI Obverse/EI-WII Reverse: 1795 1313-18.
PI Obverse/Ell-WI Reverse: 1795 None.
PI Obverse/EII-WII Reverse: 1795 None.
PII Obverse/EI-WI Reverse: 1795 BB-15, BB-16; BB-20, BB-21, BB-22, BB-23, and BB-24.
PII Obverse/EI-WII Reverse: 1795 BB-19. PII Obverse/EII-WI Reverse: 1795 None.
PII Obverse/EII-WII Reverse: 1795 BB-25, BB-26, and BB-27.
