1776 Continental Currency Elder Restrike - Silvered Copper Dollar

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged within the Newman restrike system as an Elder production and listed as Whitman 8421, this silvered copper restrike of the 1776 Continental Currency dollar was produced by Thomas Elder, one of the most prominent and prolific coin dealers in early 20th-century New York. Elder operated from his shop on Nassau Street and was known for producing restrikes, copies, and reproductions of rare colonial and early American coins for the growing collector market of the 1900s-1920s. This piece was struck in copper and then silver-plated to simulate the appearance of an original silver Continental Currency dollar — a deliberate cosmetic enhancement that gave collectors the visual experience of owning what appeared to be a silver specimen at a fraction of the cost. The underlying design faithfully reproduces Benjamin Franklin's celebrated imagery: the obverse sundial with FUGIO and MIND YOUR BUSINESS, and the reverse with interlocking rings of the thirteen colonies surrounding AMERICAN CONGRESS and WE ARE ONE. The silver plating is usually visible at the edges where handling wear has exposed the copper base metal beneath. Scarce as an identified Elder production, these restrikes occupy a legitimate position in the numismatic market as documented reproductions from a known dealer, distinct from deceptive counterfeits, and they serve as affordable representatives of one of the most iconic designs in American numismatic history for collectors who cannot obtain original 1776 pewter or silver strikings.

Rarity Notes

Scarce restrike. Produced by dealer Thomas Elder in the early 20th century.

Cross References

Newman restrike (Elder); Whitman 8421