1904 Lewis and Clark Exposition Gold Dollar. MS-65 (PCGS).

1904 Lewis and Clark Exposition Gold Dollar. MS-65 (PCGS).，The highly lustrous satin surfaces are adorned with vivid reddish-gold patina. The purchase of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 introduced approximately 530 million acres of unexplored land to the United States, and spurred an exploratory expedition by the Corps of Discovery beginning in 1804. Created by President Thomas Jefferson in 1803, the corps consisted of 33 U.S. Army volunteers headed by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark. Their mission included devising a route to the Pacific, asserting U.S. sovereignty, and establishing relationships with the indigenous populations. The corps left St. Charles, Missouri on May 21, 1804, and continued westward along the Missouri River.<p>Over the next two years, the group would encounter more than two dozen indigenous tribes and distribute Indian Peace medals that remain popular with numismatists and historians today. Along with significant scientific observations this expedition paved the way for a successful understanding and proliferation of the American West.<p>Just over a century later, the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition commemorated this journey. Held in Portland, Oregon and attracting an estimated 2,500,000 visitors over the course of that summer, the Exposition spotlighted elements of nature, manufacturing and the arts that were significant in the region. Benefiting this exposition was an issue of commemorative gold dollars authorized by Congress on April 13, 1904. Like several numismatic happenings of the early 20th century, this legislation was backed by Farran Zerbe and he handled the promotion and distribution of the proposed dollars. Twenty five thousand 1904-dated coins and 35,000 1905-dated coins were struck, but slow sales prompted a large melting that resulted in net distributions of 9,997 and 10,000 pieces, respectively. The present offering is a very well preserved and attractive 1904 that would do nicely in a high quality set.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection.，