1800 Silver Dollar Error - 1800 S$1 Error, Double Strike 10% Off Center NGC AU53, BB-196. This 1800 Silver Dollar is double-struck with the second strike ten percent off center. The coin is toned silver-gray with shades of tan, rose and dark gray. The primary focus areas are light with darker shading towards the rims and in the field, especially so on the reverse. Original mint luster is present within the devices on both sides of the coin. The strike is typically variable with full details on most of Libertys hair and drapery as well as the shield and clouds. There are no planchet adjustment marks, and the surfaces are original and, for the grade, remarkably clean and free of distracting abrasions. The doubling is clear on both sides of the coin and is especially prominent on the date and the right side of the obverse and the reverse. A heavy collar clash mark appears along Libertys neck for about half the length of the bust. It is a result of clashing from the reverse die.

The coin is a BB-196. The variety is identified by the collar clash mark on the obverse and the line that extends to the left from just above the foot of the 1 in the date. The reverse has only 12 arrows in the eagles talon. The point of Star 12 touches the upper part of the eagles beak. The two dies that were used for this coin made no other varieties. 

A double strike takes place when a struck coin does not get ejected from the coining chamber and receives an additional strike from the same dies. The present piece is particularly dramatic because much of the detail from the first strike is present and the second strike was very far off center leaving easily seen separation on the right of both sides of the coin.

The Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle type dollar was made from 1798 to 1804. The obverse shows a draped bust of Liberty facing right. Above is the inscription, LIBERTY, and the date is below. 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 eagle with up stretched wings and a Union shield on its breast is called a heraldic eagle. E PLURIBUS UNUM is inscribed on a banner that curls across the left wing and under the right. The inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc near the periphery interrupted by the wing tips. In an arc pattern are thirteen stars above the eagles head under the clouds. The edge is lettered, and dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin.

Robert Scot placed the arrows in the wrong talon in what some have called colossal design blunder. Arrows symbolize aggressive militarism when held in the eagles right talon, on the left side. 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.

The omission of the denomination was intentional. Except for its edge, the coin has no denomination-- something that might appear as a sign of ineptitude. However, since United States coinage was new to the world market of the 18th century, the term dollar would have been unfamiliar to merchants of the day. Like European coinage of the time, silver and gold pieces were valued by their weight and fineness so the denomination was largely irrelevant.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence. In addition to yellow fever, chaos at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages, coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely, and a Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight. 

Thomas Jefferson chose Robert Scot to be the first Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793. Scot was born in 1744 in Edinburgh, Scotland or England. (Documentary evidence is lacking as to where he was born.)  He was trained as a watchmaker in England and learned engraving afterwards. He moved to the United States in 1777, where he worked as an engraver of plates, bills of exchange, and office scales. During the Revolution, he was an engraver of paper money. In 1780 he was made the State Engraver of Virginia. He moved to Philadelphia the next year. He was appointed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793 by David Rittenhouse, Mint Director. His salary in 1795 was $1,200 per year. The Mint Director received only $800 dollars per year more. Scots ability to make dies was limited, and he was advanced in years with failing eyesight. His work was somewhat less than that done in Europe at the time, and Scot was criticized for its poor quality. He was responsible for designs of most of Americas first coins. These include the Flowing Hair and the Draped Bust motifs used on the early silver coins, and the gold quarter eagle, half eagle and eagle Capped Busts. Scot also designed the 1794-1797 half cent, the 1800-1808 draped bust half cent, and the Thomas Jefferson Indian Peace Medal. Scot died on November 1, 1823 and was succeeded by William Kneass as Chief Engraver.

While the grading services do not list the populations of error coins, it is interesting to note the 1800 $1.00 BB-196 is a rare variety. NGC has certified 24 of them with only 8 finer than the present piece. PCGS has 5 in AU53 condition with 5 better. These numbers do not account for crossovers or resubmissions.

Because early silver dollars were struck by hand and immediately inspected, there was not much opportunity for error coins such as the present piece to escape into circulation. This coin is listed number 50 in 100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins by Brown, Camire, and Weinberg. The authors unequivocally say of it, There are six or seven double-struck Draped Bust dollars with a major second overlap, of which this one is the best.