Of all the important dates in American history, none is more significant than 1776, the year our Founding Fathers declared independence from Great Britain. Though nearly countless varieties of world coins and a few very rare early American tokens are known dated 1776, there is but one way to represent the date of our nation’s birth with an American coin in a coin cabinet, and that is to own a Continental dollar. Our upcoming Rarities Sale, to be held in tandem with Part III of the magnificent D. Brent Pogue Collection in New York City in February 2016, will contain a beautiful steel-grey PCGS-certified AU-58 example of the curious misspelled CURENCY variety. This famous and eagerly sought variety, Newman 1-C, is always high on the want list – or wish list — of virtually all collectors who enjoy the early coinage of our fledgling nation. Information about the Continental “dollars” or “units” is scant, and the paper trail to their origin is thin and difficult to follow. We do know that a Congressional Resolution of February 17, 1776 – and another on May 9 – called for the issuance of paper money in denominations that included a $1 note. Later resolutions that year, however, dismissed the paper $1 notes. Today’s scholars feel the Continental dollars may have been issued in lieu of the $1 notes that were originally intended. Struck mainly in pewter with a few rare silver or brass piece known, the first of the Continental dollars were probably produced in New York City around late summer 1776, as the dollar note was omitted from the July 22 congressional resolution, and New York State omitted the $1 note from its issues in August of the year. This probably signified a perfect time for a new dollar coin. The curious CURENCY spelling of the offered variety may have been a die cutter’s error, with the artist realizing there simply wasn’t enough space for CURRENCY in the die, or perhaps it was simply the result of a modestly educated workman and the ever-changing texture of the “American” language at the time. We may never know. One thing we are certain of, however, is the ability of a world-class 1776 Continental dollar such as this to draw an equally world-class array of bidders, especially given the venue for this great and memorable sale. We know we will see many familiar faces in the audience at bidding time, and we’re positive there will be new faces as well. All will have one thing in common – the right to bid on this beautiful AU-58 PCGS-certified Continental “CURENCY” dollar.
