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1 Dollar Lafayette
| Issuer | United States Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900 |
| Type | Non-circulating coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A detailed rendering of the equestrian statue of General Lafayette occupies the central field, depicting the general in military uniform astride a rearing horse, his right arm raised and pointing forward in a commanding gesture atop a raised rectangular plinth. A laurel branch is depicted at the base of the monument. The circumferential legend ERECTED · BY · THE · YOUTH · OF · THE · UNITED · STATES · IN · HONOR · OF · GEN · LAFAYETTE arcs around the upper and right portion of the field, while PARIS and the date 1900 appear in the lower field flanked by five-pointed stars. A beaded border frames the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
Authorized by Congress in 1899, the Lafayette Dollar was the first commemorative coin issued by the United States to feature the portrait of a foreign national. It was struck to raise funds for a statue of Lafayette to be erected in Paris — the statue itself was intended as an American gift for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. The entire mintage of 50,000 pieces was produced in a single day, December 14, 1899, backdated to 1900 to align with the Paris exposition.
Sales were disappointing. Roughly 14,000 unsold pieces were eventually melted, leaving a net distribution well below the nominal mintage figure.