Lewis and Clark Exposition Dollar

The Lewis and Clark Exposition Dollar is a classic United States commemorative gold dollar issued for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition held in Portland, Oregon, in 1905. It is a tiny coin, struck in .900 fine gold at the standard gold-dollar size, and it is best known for a design quirk: it carries a portrait of an explorer on both faces rather than a portrait and a scenic reverse.

One side shows Meriwether Lewis and the other shows William Clark, making this the only U.S. coin type to bear two different portraits, one on each side. Both are attributed to Chief Engraver Charles E. Barber. The photographed example, with the "LEWIS AND CLARK EXPOSITION PORTLAND" legend and centennial dates, is a genuine specimen of this two-portrait gold dollar.

Coins were dated 1904 and 1905. Both dates are scarce today because relatively few were sold at the fair and large numbers of the unsold pieces were later returned and melted, leaving modest surviving populations prized by commemorative collectors.

The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition marked one hundred years since the Corps of Discovery expedition of 1804–1806. To help fund and promote the Portland fair, Congress authorized a commemorative gold dollar, and the coins were produced at the Philadelphia Mint carrying the dates 1904 and 1905.

Charles E. Barber prepared the dies, placing Meriwether Lewis on one side and William Clark on the other. This was only the second U.S. commemorative gold dollar series, following the 1903 Louisiana Purchase Exposition dollars, and it continued the early-1900s practice of selling small gold commemoratives at a premium to raise money for expositions. Numismatic promoter Farran Zerbe was heavily involved in distributing the coins at the fair.

Sales fell well short of the authorized quantity. Many coins went unsold, and a large share were returned to the Mint and melted, so the net surviving mintage for each date runs only into the low thousands. Today both the 1904 and 1905 issues are collected as key early commemoratives.

The defining feature is the two-portrait layout: one side shows Meriwether Lewis and the other shows William Clark, both facing profiles. Unlike most coins, there is no seated figure, wreath, or scenic reverse — an explorer's bust appears on each face. Look for the legend naming the Lewis and Clark Exposition and Portland, along with centennial dates tied to the expedition (1804–1904 or 1805–1905).

This is a small gold coin, roughly 15 mm in diameter and about 1.7 grams in .900 fine gold, the same physical standard as a regular U.S. gold dollar. Its warm yellow color and diminutive size are immediate clues. There is no mint mark, since all pieces were struck at Philadelphia.

The date on the coin distinguishes the two issues: 1904 versus 1905. Both are legitimate; the year simply identifies which of the two production runs a given coin belongs to. Genuine strikes show crisp Barber lettering and sharp portrait detail.

As a scarce classic gold commemorative, the Lewis and Clark dollar trades well above its small gold content, on the strength of low surviving mintages and collector demand. Values are driven mainly by date, condition, and eye appeal rather than by the metal itself.

Circulated and lightly handled examples of either date command solid collector prices, while choice uncirculated and high certified grades bring substantially more. The two dates are valued separately, and gem-quality survivors are genuinely scarce because many coins were cleaned or mishandled over the decades.

Because figures vary with the market and with each coin's grade, any specific value should be checked against recent auction results and current dealer listings for certified examples. Professional grading (PCGS or NGC) is common for these coins and strongly affects price.