The Lewis and Clark Exposition gold dollar is a commemorative coin that was struck in 1904 and 1905 as part of the United States Government’s participation in the Lewis andClark Centennial Exposition. Designed by United States Bureau of the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, the coin did not sell well and less than a tenth of the authorized mintage of 250,000 was issued. The coins were, for the most part, sold to the public by numismatic promoter Farran Zerbe.
About Lewis and Clark Exposition gold dollar in brief
The Lewis and Clark Exposition gold dollar is a commemorative coin that was struck in 1904 and 1905 as part of the United States Government’s participation in the Lewis andClark Centennial Exposition. Designed by United States Bureau of the Mint Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber, the coin did not sell well and less than a tenth of the authorized mintage of 250,000 was issued. The coins were, for the most part, sold to the public by numismatic promoter Farran Zerbe, who had also vended the Louisiana Purchase Exposition dollar. As he was unable to sell much of the issue, surplus coins were melted by the Mint. Today, the coins have continued to increase in value, and today are worth between hundreds and thousands of dollars, depending on condition. It is the only American coin to be \”two-headed\”, with a portrait of one of the expedition leaders on each side. It was the first American overland exploring party to reach the Pacific Coast, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The expedition spent the winter of 1804–1805 encamped near the site of Bismarck, North Dakota. They left there on April 7, 1805 and came within view of the Pacific Ocean, near Astoria, Oregon, on November 7.
After exploring the area, they departed eastward on March 23, 1806 and arrived in St. Louis six months to the day later. While they did not find the mammoths or salt mountains reputed to be in the American West, these were a small loss compared to the things that were gained. In addition to knowledge of the territories purchased by the US, these included the establishment of relations with Native Americans and increased public interest in the West once their diaries were published. Further, the exploration of the Oregon Country later aided American claims to that area. In gratitude for their service to the nation, Congress gave them grants and they were appointed with a land grant to the land with a fair to be held in Portland, Oregon. In 1900, a committee of business men began to plan for an issue of stock of the coin. A committee of the Secretary of the Treasury was only allowed to purchase these from the government, so the government could do so at a cost of up to $500,000.
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This page is based on the article Lewis and Clark Exposition gold dollar published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 20, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
