A peculiarity among 1800 dollars, the "Dotted Date" dollar gets its name NOT from the purposeful work of the Mint engraver's hand, but from the ravages of the Philadelphia atmosphere.  Here were a set of dies prepared for use and then set aside, which then rusted before they were placed into the coining press.  Multiple rust pits had formed on the die, leaving raised lumps on the newly minted coins.

Of all places such die lumps should appear, the most noticeable of these appear around the first zero in the date.  Understandably, collectors have come to label this one the "dotted date."  Collectors of earlier eras have variously called this one the "Q Date" variety or the "Bag" variety.  Regardless of its name, it has become very recognizable and, in turn, very popular with collectors.

As a variety, the Dotted Date is fairly scarce overall, but it is particularly scarce in higher grades.  The progressive deterioration of the die created problems in strikings; consequently, specimens of this variety show varying areas of weakness of strike, making the search for a nice specimen all the more difficult.

At MS64, the Cardinal Collection specimen represents the single finest known of the variety.  Extremely sharply struck for the variety, the surfaces show smooth and free of all but the most inconsequential signs of handling.  Deeply toned in shades of lavender and blue with golden iridescence near the rims, the coin's power luster still beams through for a bright, lively appearance.