 Counterfeits and spurious reproductions of the 1804 dollar have been created since numismatists became aware of the coins ' high value . James A. Bolen , a medallist and coin collector who created copies of valuable coins between 1862 and 1869 , fabricated an 1804 dollar by altering the last digit in the date of a genuine 1803 example . Although Bolen added his name to the edge of the coin , other forgers created altered date coins with the intent to deceive . Nineteenth @-@ century stage actor John T. Raymond purchased a specimen of the coin , which was later revealed to be a forgery , for $ 300 . All silver dollars dated between 1800 and 1803 were subject to alteration to 1804 dollars , but 1801 was the date most commonly used for that purpose . 
