The dies for this pattern silver dollar were engraved by Christian Gobrecht, who began work at the United States Mint in July 1835.
The figure of Liberty on the obverse was modelled on the Britannia on British copper coins of the time, but Britannia’s trident was transformed into a staff topped by a cap of liberty. The number of
stars around the eagle on the reverse represents the number of American states in the 1830s. These designs were ultimately rejected and did not appear on coins issued for everyday use.