Q. David Bowers
"(Signed) H.W. BEARCE, Genl. Supt.
"The following is an extract from the report above referred to:
" 'April 24th, 1906.
" 'In accordance with instructions received to go to the United States Mint with the silver dollar date 1804 and ascertain if it is one of the original coinage or not=I was directed to the Curator, T.L. Comparette, who examined it carefully with a strong glass and said that from all appearances it was an original one, as the letters, stars and edge had every appearance of it, but he would not be able to say positive if it had been filled in or date changed by an expert engraver unless it was left with him for a day or two for very careful examination,-but that could be only positively determined by putting it under a heating process .... Mr. Comparette said he could not place any value on the coin as he does not feel justified in saying the coin is an original one without having it for a day or two for examination, but said the coin had several marks on it which are very favorable to it and spoke very favorably on the coin.
'''Upon being pressed for its value he said that IF IT STOOD THE HEAT TEST it is worth about nine hundred dollars.'
"Report of the Heat Test " 'May 3rd, 1906.
" 'In accordance with instructions received from General Superintendent Bearce I called at the U.S. Mint with the 1804 dollar. I saw the Curator and told him the owner of the dollar wished to have it tested by heating as he had previously suggested. He took me to the Chief Engraver, who gave the dollar what he termed 'a severe test,' by heating the '4' and endeavored to pick and knock it off, BUT IT REMAINED FAST.'
"(Signed) CHAS. F. DAHLEN, Operative.
"From the General Superintendent to the former owner, referring to above report:
" 'I today caused an operative to call on the Curator of the U.S. Mint in this city, taking with. him the 1804 silver dollar you sent me. I enclose you herewith the operative's report.
" 'As I understand it, the test is made by heat to determine whether the date or any portion of it has been tampered with; for instance, the dollar might have been of false date or a portion of the '4' soldered on, but of course, when it is heated, if any portion of it was soldered on, it is detached and its spuriousness of the date exposed.'
"The original letters and reports are sold with the dollar. "From the severe tests the coin withstood, the careful consideration Mr. Granberg gave it before being thoroughly convinced of its absolute 'atmosphere of genuineness,' its weight, edge, lettering, and everything else pertaining to it, proves beyond a doubt that it is not only a genuine Dollar of '1804' but that it is a Dollar of 1804-,.STRUCK IN 1804!"
Notwithstanding Mehl's assertion that it was "beyond a doubt that it is not only a genuine Dollar of '1804' but that it is a Dollar of 1804-,.STRUCK IN 1804!" he must have had second thoughts, or perhaps some reader of his catalogue enlightened him, for on the prices realized list the erstwhile highly prized "King of American Coins" was ignominiously marked "Withdrawn."
How soon we forget: The February 5, 1949 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, p. 33, shows Mehl examining a coin with a glass, with the caption: "I have never been taken in by any counterfeit."
Taxay on Restrikes in General (1963)
The following is from Counierfeit Mis-struck and Unofficial U.S. Coins, by Don Taxay and supplies the rationale for the Mint's creating special coins for collectors:
"On June 3,1853, the Hon. James Ross Snowden was appointed ninth Director of the Mint, a position which he maintained for eight years. Snowden, a fervent perpetuator of Robert Patterson's work, fortunately bequeathed to us many records of his own numismatic activities while associated with the Mint. Perhaps the most reliable answer to the second question then maybe found through a scrutiny of these records as they appear in the National Archives.
"The first is a letter dated January 22, 1859 from Snowden to the secretary of the Treasury, Howell Cobb. Snowden writes:
'Sir, we are duly pressed upon, by Collectors of Coins from all parts of the Country either by letter or in person, for specimens of pattern pieces of coin, and rare types. A few of these have been in every case issued-some of them got into the hands of dealers and are sold at excessive prices. I propose with your approbation, to check this-traffic, and at the same time gratify a taste which has lately increased in this country, and seems to be increasing every day, namely by striking some of each kind and affixing a price to them, so that the profits may inure to the benefit of the Mint Cabinet of Coins and ores which is the property of the United States; an exact amount of which will be kept and rendered to the Department.'
"What a revealing letter this is! It not only states that patterns and other rare coins have in every case' been restruck for the purpose of obliging solicitors, but also that there have been no regulations of any kind governing distribution. Snowden, who had previously expressed grave doubts over the legality and propriety of striking medals other than those ordered by the government, now finds the distribution of unauthorized coins not only proper, but worthy of every consideration. The only thing that troubles the director is that the numismatic department is not taking in a large enough slice of the profits!
"It may be asked how the all-bountiful Snowden was able 'in each case' to oblige the collector who appealed to him. The answer lies in the fact that both Franklin Peale and his successor, George K. Childs, had prophetically taken to collecting the old hubs and dies, and had amassed a representative stock dating back to about 1800. Thus, when John K. Curtis wrote to Director Snowden, early in January 1859, regarding the possibility of obtaining an 1851 dollar, Snowden replied that 'one could be struck from the dies of that year.'
"Another interchange which is of considerable interest begins with a letter from one P. Clayton to Director Snowden:
"'Dear Sir,
" 'If you have specimens in copper of the new $20, also model half & quarter dollars & specimen cents struck last year before settling on the new device now used-& can spare them without detriment to the public interest, I would like to have them- My object is to give them to a friend who seems to have a passion for specimens of coins.'
"Snowden's reply is dated Jan. 24, 1859 .... It begins with the provocative caption 'Unofficial; , and then goes on to say: "'Dear Sir,
" 'I have rec'd your note of the 22nd inst. and learn from it that you are acquiring a personal knowledge of the 'passion for specimen coins' which possesses so many people in our country. On Saturday I had nine applications of a similar character-today (now 12 o'clock) I have had three. It was in view of this increasing, as well as troublesome, taste that. I made the request mentioned in my official letter of last Saturday (22nd inst.) which I hope will deserve the sanction of the department. In reference to the specimens you ask for I have to state that the trial piece in copper of the double eagle of 1859 which I left at the Department is the only' one I had: I have a few of the specimen cents but not all the varieties. I could send you two or three of these, but perhaps it will be best to defer sending them until the new arrangement is made, when your friend, and all other collectors of Coins, AND THEIR NAME IS LEGION, can be supplied to their heart's content;'