1897 RARE BICKFORD DOLLAR EXPERIMENT THAT FAILED VERY NICE EXAMPLE OF THIS COIN

Description

BICKFORD DOLLARS
1897
While visiting in Europe, Dana Bickford of New York City experienced the usual difficulty of travelers in getting money of one country exchanged for that of another. Upon his return, he submitted several designs for a proposed international coinage to Dr. Henry R. Linderman, then Mint Director, who approved the idea because of the saving an international coinage would afford the U.S. Government, as well as the convenience it would provide travelers abroad. Recoinage and waste on coin coming into this country amounted to approximately one-half million dollars a year at that time.
Using one of Bickford's designs, Dr. Linderman in 1874 had a pattern eagle struck in gold, copper, nickel and aluminum. This pattern is not bi-metallic, but like the later private issues, it bears on reverse coin equivalents of several countries. Congress failed to take action to approve the idea, and the project was dropped.
Bickford, in 1897, issued eight "dollars" or patterns for an international coinage, reverse inscription on each giving exchange value of the dollar in several world currencies,
THIS IIS A FINE EXAMPLE OF THE ALUMIUM & BRASS CENTER EXPERIMENTAL COIN  VERY READABLE,  MANY ARE WORN AND HARD TO READ,  IT IS JUST OVER 1 INCH IN DIAMETER, CAME CLOSE TO BE OUR COINAGE,  ALUMIUM BACK THEN, WAS CONSIDERED A SCARCE METAL AND WAS ON A PAR WITH SILVER AND GOLD.. GOOGLE HISTORY  SUPER, SCARCE...SHIPPING IS USPS  FIRST CLASS