By Jeff Shevlin – So-CalledDollar.com ……
This year, to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Manila Mint, restrikes of the Wilson Dollar are being offered for sale. The restrikes have been struck using the original Wilson Dollar obverse die engraved by George Morgan.
The Wilson Dollar was originally struck on the newly installed minting equipment in the Philippines, the only overseas U.S. Branch Mint, to commemorate the opening of the Manila Mint in 1920. They were struck in gold, silver, and bronze.
George Morgan, who engraved the dies for the Morgan dollar, also engraved the dies for the Wilson dollar.
Jeff Shevlin, the “So-Called Guy”, a nationally recognized expert on So-Called Dollars, historical U.S. medals, is offering the restrikes, struck by Daniel Carr of the Moonlight Mint, in gold, silver, copper, brass, aluminum, nickel and select gold-plated. The restrikes are 38mm, the same size as the original. The gold is 1.6oz, 50 grams of gold, and edge marked “50 GRAMS 999+ GOLD” is $5,000. The silver is edge marked “ONE TROY OUNCE .999 SILVER” is $100. The copper is $50, and the brass, aluminum, and nickel are $35. Silver with select gold-plate is $125. The obverse die is the original Wilson Dollar die engraved by George Morgan. The reverse die commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Manila Mint and will be almost identical to the original die except in the legend “ANNIVERSARY” replaces “OPENING” and will be dated 2020. A custom Lucite holder to display the gold, silver, and copper is free when the set of three is purchased. A custom Lucite holder for the silver, silver select gold-plate, copper, brass, aluminum, and nickel is free when the set of six are purchased.
Dennis Tucker of Whitman Publishing said regarding the 100 Year Wilson Dollar Anniversary restrikes by Jeff Shevlin:
“The Wilson Dollar is one of the most historically significant issues among the medals numismatists identify as ‘So-Called Dollars’. We value it for the unique way it connects the people of the United States to the people of the Philippines—a golden (and silver and bronze!) symbol of a deeply important connection that resonates to this day … In Whitman’s Mega Red, the expanded edition of the Red Book, we devote more than a page-and-a-half to the Wilson Dollar. This is a measure of the importance of this intriguing, richly layered, and many-storied medal.”
The Manila Mint was destroyed during World War II when the Japanese invaded the Philippine Islands and almost 10 million dollars’ worth of silver pesos, as well as Wilson dollars, were dumped into Manila Bay to avoid capture by the Japanese.
It was reported that five Wilson Dollars were struck in gold, but seven are accounted for today, 2,200 were struck in silver, and 3,700 in bronze.
Visit the website www.WilsonDollar.com to place your order or contact Jeff Shevlin at [email protected] or (916) 955-2569.
