Stella (United States coin)

Stella (United States coin)
Stella
1879 Flowing Hair Stella.png
Value: 4.00 U.S. dollars
Mass: 7.00g
Diameter: 22.0 mm
Thickness: 1.52 mm
Edge: reeded
Composition: 6.00g Au, 0.30g Ag, 0.70g Cu
Obverse
Design: Liberty bust
Designers: Charles E. Barber, George T. Morgan
(Two different obverse patterns were used.)
Design Date: 1879
Reverse
Design: five-pointed star
Designer: Charles E. Barber
Design Date: 1879

The United States four dollar coin, also officially called a Stella, is a unit of currency equivalent to four United States dollars.

History

The Stella was a pattern coin produced to explore the possibility of joining the Latin Monetary Union (LMU); these patterns were produced in 1879 and 1880 at the urging of John A. Kasson, a former chairman of the United States House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. The Stella was meant to contain a quantity of precious metal similar to that of the standard LMU gold piece, the twenty-franc Napoleon minted in France, Switzerland, and other LMU countries.

Two different designs obverse were produced: one with flowing hair; in the other the hair is coiled. Both bear the same inscription "★6★G★.3★S★.7★C★7★G★R★A★M★S★" ("★" is a Unicode character that should be a five-pointed star) and the date. The reverse star had the inscriptions ONE STELLA and 400 CENTS, while the reverse rim had the legends UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and FOUR DOL., and circling the star but between its points were the legends E PLURIBUS UNUM ("Out of many, one") and DEO EST GLORIA ("To God is the glory").

The coin and the prospect of joining the Latin Monetary Union were rejected by Congress, but not before several hundred restrikes of the Barber flowing hair design had been produced and sold to Congressmen at the cost of production. These later became a source of scandal when it was noted that a number of them ended up as jewelry pieces adorning the necks of madams operating some of Washington's most famous bordellos.

Five examples of a pattern quintuple stella denominated at 20 dollars were produced in 1879 as well. These coins used a modified version of the then current Liberty Head (Coronet) design of the double eagle, replacing the stars on the obverse with "★30★G★1.5★S★3.5★C★35★G★R★A★M★S★", and the motto IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse with the same DEO EST GLORIA found on the reverse of the stella.

Only 425 examples of the Stella were made.

External links

  • [1] Monaco Rare Coins
  • www.unionlatine.com Pictures and mintage figures of the stella and the quintuple stella.
  • [2] Stella Pattern images and historical information.
v · d · eObsolete United States currency and coinage
Topics
Coins
Gold coins
Currency
Patterns
Stella ($4) · Half-union ($50)

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