1903 $1 MS DMPL

Key to Collecting: The 1903 Philadelphia Mint silver dollars were well made, with nice striking quality and bright luster, although more with a satiny sheen, sort of “greasy” (but attractive), than with a deep frost. I recall in the 1950’s getting a large quantity of these that popped up in a holiday release in the northeastern section of Pennsylvania. Each coin looked as if it had been minted an hour earlier! Many coins are in the marketplace, and choice and gem pieces await your consideration.

Surface Quality: Usually fairly well struck, but there are exceptions. Satiny and brilliant, but not deeply frosty. Raised die striae are seen on many coins, from the die preparation process.

Prooflike Coins: Prooflike pieces are seen at widely scattered intervals and do not have high contrast.

Mintage and Distribution: Delivery figures by month: January, 500,000; February, 1,000,000; March, 526,000; April, 428,000; May, 0; June, 2,000,000; July–October, 0; November, 64,000; December, 134,000. Quantities of Uncirculated 1903 dollars were scarce in numismatic circles until multiple bags were released in 1955. Quantities surfaced here and there, and in the 1960’s a dealer in Salinas, California, had the remarkable quantity of 50 bags. However, elsewhere bags of this date were scarcely seen.

Mintage: 755. Delivery figures by month: January–February, 0; March, 325; April– May, 0; June, 120; July–August, 0; September, 75; October–November, 0; December, 235.

Key to Collecting: Medium to subpar strike plus no cameo contrast. The portraits and certain other recessed parts of the die were polished—what student of the series Michael Fuljenz calls “the chrome look.”

All from new-style hub (introduced in 1900). Coinage was accomplished from some or all of 46 obverse and 40 reverse dies prepared.