Stack’s Bowers Galleries is excited to present a rare
bimetallic pattern dollar featuring Braille text in their November 2020
Showcase Auction. Struck by the German company Schuler for exhibition at United
States Congressional hearings and the U.S. Mint, this pattern was intended to demonstrate
the implementation of Braille elements in response to concerns from the
Alliance for the Blind. It has a copper-nickel outer ring with a brass insert
at the center, and the Braille characters REV on one side of the copper-nickel
ring to identify the reverse for the vision-impaired. Research by modern dollar
specialist Phillip Barnhart indicates that these were struck by Shuler in their
Michigan offices in 1997 or 1998 and approximately 20 pieces were produced.
The final years of the 20th century represented
an era of innovation at the U.S. Mint and its suppliers. The Susan B. Anthony
dollar was the first of the small-size modern dollars, but caused considerable
controversy upon release in 1979 due to its similarity to the quarter in size,
format and color. As frustration with this coin continued to grow in ensuing
decades, Mint and Treasury officials announced plans for a new small-size
dollar coin with a plain edge and golden color. Considerable experimentation
took place in the years leading up to the new millennium, including various
combinations of metallic composition, format, and design that would ultimately
result in the Sacagawea dollar that was released for circulation in 2000.
Of the patterns or prototypes from this era, the Martha
Washington pieces are the most frequently encountered. This Bimetallic Braille specimen
is one of only two examples of the issue to be offered publicly. Stack’s Bowers
Galleries sold the only other example, graded MS-60 (Uncertified), in their
February 2015 sale. This new specimen, the sole piece to be certified by PCGS
or NGC, has been graded MS-64 by PCGS. It is likely the finest specimen
available on the market, and will be a significant prize for advanced
collectors of U.S. patterns or modern dollar coins.
This MS-64 (PCGS) Bimetallic pattern dollar will be offered in
the Stack’s Bowers Galleries November 2020 Showcase Auction, appearing
alongside rarities from the Larry H. Miller Collection, the E. Pluribus Unum
Collection, the Larry Ness Collection, the Monterrey Collection, the Abigail
Collection, and many other significant cabinets. The sale will be available for
viewing and bidding on the firm’s website www.StacksBowers.com
or you can contact their offices to secure your copy of the printed catalogs at
[email protected] and 800-566-2580.
