1799 $1 Draped Bust Silver Dollar, 7x6 Obverse Stars BB-166 PCGS XF45 - “Apostrophe” variety

Here’s an attractive 1799 silver dollar to add to your collection. This is the "Apostrophe" variety with a break after the second ‘S’ in ‘STATES.’ PCGS did not designate this specimen as BB-166 upon the holder. However, careful inspection tells us that is indeed that variety. Specialists should examine the photos carefully. In total, PCGS has graded 48 of the BB-166 $1 Draped Bust variety. Of those, there are 4 graded XF45 with just 10 finer. Collectors Universe prices the BB-166 variety at $6,500.00 in XF45.

The First Philadelphia Mint, where this great piece was struck in 1799. Image: Public domain.

The mintage of the 1799 Draped Bust silver dollar was plentiful for its time: 423,515.  However, the surviving total population is approximately 6,500. That is because a great majority of the Draped Bust dollars were shipped to the East to be part of the China trade. The dollars of 1799 were worth $1.03 when they were produced at the Philadelphia Mint, which made them excellent candidates for instruments of international trade. Such coins were rarely seen in American commerce. Very few of them actually circulated. Those that survived were mostly stored in the First Bank of the United States.