1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines

The 1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines Draped Bust Dollar is a specialist sub-variety combining the Knob 9 obverse date-punch with a reverse shield showing 4 vertical lines (rather than the 5 lines on the matched 5 Lines variety). The 1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines belongs to the broader 1798 Heraldic Eagle production sequence and is one of the documented die-line varieties within the 1798 combined 327,536-piece annual mintage. The 1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines 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, 4 Lines varies across the very small specific die-marriage production, with central definition on Liberty and the Heraldic Eagle often soft on the limited die work. 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 genuinely rare. Die marriages are catalogued by the Bowers-Borckardt (BB) attribution system, with the Knob 9, 4 Lines representing specific BB die marriages within the 1798 cohort.

The 1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines is a popular variety pickup for collectors documenting the 1798 die-line varieties and trades at meaningful premiums above the standard 1798 Heraldic Eagle baseline at every grade. The 1798 Knob 9, 4 Lines pairs with the 1798 Knob 9, 5 Lines as the matched Knob 9 reverse-line variety pair. 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 essential at any meaningful price level given the prevalence of misattribution in the raw market. For the 1798 die-line variety context, see the Draped Bust Dollar series history.