1866 Silver Dollar Pattern - J-541 $1 - J541 1866 S$1 NGC PF64 RB, R-6-. This Liberty 1866 Silver Dollar Pattern has smoldering mint luster within its devices. The strike of this 1866 Silver Dollar Pattern is sharp and bold, as expected for a proof coin, with full details on Libertys head, the centers of the stars, and the eagles feathers. The coin shows medium hairlines, in keeping with the PF64 grade. The piece is a coppery-brown with light central devices on the obverse and more uniform toning on the reverse.

Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the obverse shows Liberty looking over her shoulder to the left as she sits on a rock. In one hand she holds a pole with a Phrygian cap upon it. With the other she balances the LIBERTY inscribed Union shield. Thirteen stars are above, interrupted by her head and the cap, and the date is below. The reverse shows the heraldic eagle looking left. In its talons are the olive branch and arrows, symbols of peace and preparedness. At the top is the required inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The denomination written as ONE DOL. is below. The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added by placing it on a ribbon above the eagles head. James Barton Longacre engraved the ribbon with the motto added.

Christian Gobrecht became the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint. He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver. He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a three-dimensional medal into an illustration. This was an excellent job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work for the Mint for less money than he was making at the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave, Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to take less in salary so more money would be available to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to Kneass. After Kneass stroke, Gobrecht did all the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844. He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif which was used for all denominations of sliver coinage including the half dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and sliver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent, the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half eagle.

Originally all of the United States coinage was secular. However, in the first sixty or so years of the United States existence, religious life became more important to the populace. By 1860, twenty-three percent of the population belonged to a church or had some kind of religious affiliation. Groups such as the National Reform Association wanted to amend the Constitution to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the source of all power and authority in government. The amendment was unsuccessful; however, the sentiment to bring religion into government remained strong. President Abraham Lincoln chose James Pollock to be the Mint Director in 1861. He served until 1867. Pollock was in favor of the idea that the nation depended on the will of God. Reverend Watkinson was the first person who actually addressed this need. He believed that adding the name of God to our coinage would, relieve us from the ignominy of heathenism[and] place us openly under the divine protection. The Coinage Act of 1865 created the authority to place the motto on all coins. In 1866 it was placed on the half eagle, the eagle and the double eagle as well as on silver coinage and the shield nickel. It wasnt until the newly designed double eagles of Augusts Saint-Gaudens that the motto was briefly omitted in 1907 because of President Theodore Roosevelts objection to it.

The J-541 piece is a copper coin struck from regular dies for 1866 silver dollar. It is rated R6 which means that 21 to 30 pieces are known in all conditions. In its population report, NGC shows 5 in PF64 BN with 2 better.