The main objective of this article is to demonstrate that the original 1838 and 1839 dollars were struck in die alignment IV orientation (i.e., eagle flying level after a medal turn) and were made from perfect (uncracked) reverse dies. Since the J-84 and J-104 dollars share the same reverse die, any reverse die cracks that appear on one set of coins, should ultimately appear on the other. In addition, some high-grade well-struck 1838 dollars (made in die alignment III) have been reported with and without cracked reverse dies. This suggests that the reverse die cracked during the restriking of the 1838 dollars (made in die alignment III). Based on historical information, it is estimated that this occurred during Snowden’s tenure in office (circa 1857-1860). Consequently, all 1839 dollars with cracked reverse dies (including die alignment IV and III restrikes), must have been made after the first restriking of the 1838 dollars in die alignment III. Therefore, all 1838 and 1839 dollars with reverse die cracks must be restrikes. However, declaring any 1838 or 1839 dollar an original coin, based on the absence of reverse die cracks, is not an ideal situation. It is possible that some weakly struck coins made in the 1850's did not pick up an impression of these very faint die cracks. Consideration of other important characteristics (e.g., re-polished dies, wire edges, etc.) should also be evaluated before classifying any Gobrecht dollar as an original. In any case, our research indicates that all 1839 Gobrecht dollars in circulated and/or damaged condition (which are exclusively found in die alignment IV configuration made from perfect reverse dies) are from the original issue of 1839. This conclusion can not be extended to the 1838 dollars since none of these coins were intentionally placed into circulation. In fact, ~98% of the 1838 dollars that have been sold at auction during the last 29 years appear in grades of Proof-60 or higher. A small number (~2%) of 1838 dollars are reported in “circulated” condition, usually AU-50 to AU-58. These coins probably represent “pocket pieces” or coins with “cabinet friction”. Currently, there is not enough data to conclude that all J-84 coins made in die alignment IV are originals (i.e., made in 1838), or if they are “second originals” (i.e., made in 1839), or if some are restrikes. Nevertheless, we believe that most 1838 die alignment IV dollars were made in 1838 or 1839. We also note that all 1838 and 1839 dollars made in die alignment III are restrikes, and were probably made during one or more of the following time periods: 1857-1860 (during Snowden’s term in office), and 1867-1869 or 1873-1878 (during Lindeman’s two terms in office). The exact restriking period can not be determined with certainty. More research is needed to understand the development and propagation of the reverse die cracks for the 1838 and 1839 Gobrecht dollars. In this article we will show several examples of 1838 and 1839 dollars with different reverse die rotations; however, these rotations are small compared with the J-60 coins made in 1837 (see Figures 1 through 6 of Reference 1). Continue on to Die Alignment Characteristics or go back to Introduction