Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1798 Silver Dollars
Mintage (all types)
Calendar year, Mint report: 327,536
Coins bearing date, author's estimate: 235,000
About 35,000 Small Eagle
About 200,000 Large Eagle
1798 SILVER DOLLARS
BB to Bolender to Haseltine Equivalents
Coinage Context
Designs used: The year 1798 saw the number of obverse stars decreased from 16 (used in 1797) to 13, the number that remained in effect throughout the remainder of the series. An exception is provided by BB-81, with 15 stars, an anachronism created by using a leftover undated die prepared in 1795 or early 1796 (before the 16-star format became standard following the admission of Tennessee to the Union), and dating it 1798.
Two reverse designs were employed: the older Small Eagle type (1798 BB-81 and BB-82) and the new Heraldic Eagle motif (all other 1798 varieties BB-91 to BB-125). The vast majority of 1798 dollars minted were of the Heraldic Eagle type.
As the obverses for BB-81 and BB-82 (which have old-style Small Eagle reverses) were made early in the year, and as these each have a knob to the bottom of the 9 in the date (Knob 9), it is presumed that the with-knob numeral style was also used earlier in the year for obverse dies that were mated with Heraldic Eagle reverses. Conversely, the Pointed Tail 9 issue dies are believed to have been made later.
As a date, 1798 dollars are fairly plentiful. Examples are encountered in all grades, although those in AU and Mint State must be deemed rare.
Mintage figures: Government mintage figures give 327,536 as the number of coins struck during calendar year 1798, and this is undoubtedly true. However, I suggest that about 140,000 to 150,000 of these bore earlier dates, including 1795, 1796, and 1797. I believe that much if not all of the silver dollar production from January through early May bore dates prior to 1798. This was an economy move, for it was known that once the 13-star Draped Bust obverse and the Heraldic Eagle reverse became standard, all earlier dies would become obsolete.
Similarly, I believe that the two 1798-dated varieties with Small Eagle reverse (BB-81 and BB-82) were struck during the first part of the year, quite possibly in May. After that point, with decks cleared and all obsolete dies of earlier dates and types used, the minting of 1798-dated dollars with Heraldic Eagle reverse began in earnest. By that time, at least 140,000 (estimated) earlier-dated dollars had been struck. Some 1798-dated dollars were probably struck later, some in 1799 and others in 1800. At the time, the Mint was not at all concerned with using dies during the year stamped on them.
I estimate that about 235,000 silver dollars (within about 10%) were struck bearing the 1798 date. I believe that about 35,000 were of the Small Eagle reverse type (1798 BB-81 and BB-82) and 200,000 were of the Heraldic Eagle type (all others). Coinage of these 1798-dated coins probably commenced in May 1798 and continued to 1799 and/or 1800.
Delivery dates: The delivery dates for silver dollars in calendar year 1798 are given below. Gold $10 eagles may have used the same press, but this is not at all certain. It is possible that $10 pieces were struck on a smaller press used to strike half dollars of similar diameter. The $10 delivery dates, when known, are interspersed among the dollar delivery dates below.