1799 Early S$1 (1799 Silver Dollar) NGC AU58. BB-157. Clean surfaces with a strong, medallic strike characterize this early 1799 Silver Dollar. This 1799 Silver Dollar coin has amazing, eye-appealing surfaces. Its luster and toning contribute to its premium look. Libertys curls show the separation required to confirm the grade. There are die cracks at the date through the dentils to the right, which add interest to the coin.

The 1799 Silver Dollar is the second Draped Bust type called the Heraldic Eagle Reverse. It was made from 1798 to 1804. The design shows a draped bust of Liberty facing right. Above is LIBERTY, and below is the date. Seven six-pointed stars are to the left and six are to the right. The portrait, taken from a drawing by the famous artist Gilbert Stuart, is of Ann Bingham. John Eckstein translated this drawing to models for Engraver Robert Scot. Evidently Eckstein made the models poorly, which might explain why Stuarts family refused to acknowledge his role in the coinage design. The heraldic eagle reverse shows the eagle with up stretched wings and a Union shield on its breast. A banner inscribed E PLURIBUS UNUM curls across the left wing and under the right. Except for the wing tips, the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc near the periphery. Thirteen stars are above the eagles head under the clouds in an arc pattern. Dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin. The edge is lettered HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT with ornamentation between the words.

In what some have called colossal design blunder, Robert Scot placed the arrows in the wrong talon. On the left side, the eagles right talon, arrows symbolize aggressive militarism. They should have been placed in the left talon with the olive branch in the right. If this rearrangement was unintentional, it shows a new, inexperienced country that cant even get its symbolism correct. If this was a deliberate rearrangement, it shows a young country taking an aggressive stance during a time of conflict. In 1799 the country was engaged with France in an undeclared naval war. Perhaps this symbolism was being used to make a statement to France and others about the sovereignty of the United States.

All of the versions of the 1799 Silver Dollar had a combined original mintage of 423,515. In its population report NGC shows the BB-157 with 31 certified in all grades. In AU58 there are 4 with 3 better. At PCGS there are 2 in AU58 with none better. These numbers do not account for resubmissions or crossovers.