Dollar - Joseph Lesher Colorado; A.B. Bumstead, Type

Reverse

Jos. Leshers Referendum Souvenir in upper five-eighths of circle near edge; in center of upper half is a device from the State Seal of Colorado, including its motto

Script: Latin

Lettering: Jos. Leshers Referendum Souvenir • Silver • Price 1.25 • / M'f'd Victor / Colo. / 1900

Comment

1900 $1 Lesher Dollar, A.B. Bumstead, Type One, Zerbe-2, HK-788. Serial No. 165. Joseph Lesher of Victor, Colorado, capitalized on William Jennings Bryan's free silver platform, which was popular in the West. Grocer A.B. Bumstead was an early and leading participant in Lesher's "referendum souvenir" scheme, ended in 1901 by the Secret Service. The present pleasing example represents the first Bumstead type with scrolls bookending the reverse fasces. Well struck and unmarked. The steel-gray surfaces display a few small areas of darker toning. Listed on page 408 of the 2016 Guide Book.