1904-05 Lewis & Clark Exposition Gold Dollar

From Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail:

Does anyone have one of these? It’s the 1904-05 Lewis & Clark Exposition Gold Dollar. 

The unique gold coins are the first, and to-date only, two-headed U.S. coin. It features Captain Lewis on the front and Captain Clark on the reverse. They were first struck in September 1904 but held at the Philadelphia Mint until the opening of the Portland, Oregon national fair on June 1, 1905, where theywere first sold for $2 (the price was increased to $2.50 when word was spread that the 1904 issue was nearly sold out). Another coin was minted in 1905, with less fanfare. A total of 60,000 Lewis and Clark dollars had been struck, even though Congress had approved that up to 250,000 could be minted for the Centennial celebration.

The lackluster reception of the coins at the time of their release has virtually guaranteed their rarity today. Some collectors say these coins are the rarest gold dollars in a commemorative series. So if you have one, keep it in a safe place! 




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