1798 Knob 9

The 1798 Knob 9 Draped Bust Dollar carries the Knob 9 obverse date-punch variety, with the digit 9 in the date showing a small rounded knob on the upper terminal that distinguishes it from the matched Pointed 9 variety. The Knob 9 variety belongs to the broader 1798 Heraldic Eagle production sequence and is one of multiple documented date-punch and reverse-line varieties within the 1798 combined 327,536-piece annual mintage. The 1798 Knob 9 carries the standard Heraldic Eagle reverse with 13 obverse stars and the Robert Scot engraving of the Gilbert Stuart obverse portrait.

Strike quality on the 1798 Knob 9 varies across the production, with central definition on Liberty and the Heraldic Eagle softening on later die states. Most surviving examples grade VG to VF from heavy circulation in the late 1790s and early 1800s, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations clustering at F and VF. Mint State examples are scarce. Die marriages are catalogued by the Bowers-Borckardt (BB) attribution system, with the Knob 9 variety appearing across multiple BB die marriages, and additional sub-varieties (4 Lines and 5 Lines on the reverse stripes) further refining the variety attribution.

The 1798 Knob 9 is a regular common date for the 1798 Heraldic Eagle subset and a specialist pickup for collectors documenting the date-punch variety details. Pricing trades at the standard 1798 Heraldic Eagle level with modest premiums for the Knob 9 specialist demand. The 1798 Knob 9 pairs with the 1798 Pointed 9 varieties as the matched date-punch variety pair documenting the 1798 die-preparation variations. Authentication concerns center on cleaning, polishing, edge damage, and counterfeit detection; certified slabs from PCGS or NGC with BB die-marriage attribution noted on the holder are the standard purchase route. For the 1798 date-punch variety history, see the Draped Bust Dollar series history.