Specially Marked Pieces
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Specially Marked Liberty Dollars
All pieces cataloged below were marked by Liberty Dollar creator Bernard von NotHaus. Pieces marked by other individuals may exist, but they would be of dubious value (prior to the introduction of regionally hallmarked 2008 issue). I am cataloging these pieces chronologically to the best of my ability. This page will have to be a collaborative effort on the part of all Liberty Dollar supporters and collectors because I have no idea what Bernard may have marked that I know nothing about, although we are in contact and he does verify questions for me. If you have something that is not listed here, please send me a photo with details of when and how it was marked (if you know it) and I will credit you with the info. If you don't know, I will try to have it confirmed.
Hallmark stamps have a distinctive "fingerprint" and are virtually impossible to counterfeit. Bernard originated the hallmarks as a way of creating a limited quantity of identifiable pieces personally stamped by himself, thereby enhancing their value. There are many NORFED collectors who seek out these rarer pieces.
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Specially marked Liberty Dollars originated with an event held on the east coast of the USA. I was told of it by Bernard von NotHaus. I cannot remember the event nor the state it was held in, but he told me that he used a specially shaped nail to mark one ounce Liberties (variety #6 dated 2000) for people who purchased them at the show. There were only about 25 pieces done. The hallmark is described as a 'squiggly', T shaped mark. The picture below is an un-hallmarked piece. If you have or know someone who has one of these year 2000 pieces with a hallmark done by Bernard, please get a photo for me and I will post it here with credits to you.
#6 HM
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The second specially marked piece was one ounce variety #12 dated 2005. The first RCO congress was held at Liberty Dollar University (LDU) 4 during the grand opening of the Evansville, Indiana National Fullfillment Office in October of 2004 and Bernard presented each of the ten attending RCOs with a piece hand stamped with a number from 1 to 10 and hallmarked with a nail with the end modified into a cross shape. I have the #10 piece. Both marks were placed just left of the base of the torch.
#12 with serial number and cross Hallmark
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The third specially marked piece was also one ounce variety #12 dated 2005. This piece was produced as a fundraiser to help meet office expenses and was offered to RCOs in quantities at a premium above normal costs. Acquisisitoin of these pieces by RCOs served a dual purpose. One was to contribute to organizational finances. The other was to acquire a limited edition offering that might have enhanced value as a numismatic piece in the future. The same hallmark was used on this pieces as on the preceeding one, but it was placed to the right of the base of the torch. There were probably less than a hundred of these done.
#12 with cross Hallmark 😁
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The first hallmark done by an RCO was the JK hallmark done by Michigan RCO Jeff Kothcounian (now deceased). He did these in 2005.
I have no idea what all pieces he may have put it on. The mark is at the bottom right of the torch.
JK Hallmark 😁
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To the best of my knowledge, the next hallmark that was done was the one used on the reverse of type #13, the original Puerto Rico piece done custom for Puerto Rico RCO Alfredo Pacheco. There were serial numbered pieces made as well as hallmarked (and those would be #13 SN). You can see the hallmark in the photo to the left of the bottom of the torch as well as the serial number, making this a #13 SNHM. Most of the 1000 pieces minted did not bear any serial number or hallmark at all. It was at this point that serial numbering and hallmarking the first few pieces of each new design seemed to become almost standard practice. I am not aware of any hallmarks on types #14 and #15, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are some. I am almost certain that there are serial numbered and hallmarked varieties of #16, which is the second Puerto Rico piece, done shortly after the move-up to the $20 silver base.
#13 with serial numbers and/or Island Hallmark
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Then came the SMI series. We know for certain that there exist serial numbered and hallmarked versions of all 25 state and the Marco Island pieces. There are varieties of some of these with Bernard's special mintmark (the triangle with the inscribed circle inside which is a capital letter B) also hand stamped on them, and some without it. Pictured here is a hallmarked #17 (Michigan SMI) with Bernard's mintmark. RCO Jeff Kotchounian of Michigan had all of his numbered and hallmarked pieces stamped with the mintmark, but none of the other Michigan RCOs did. I don't believe there are any GI (general issue) Michigan pieces that bear the special mintmark. There are of the #22, the NEW HAMPSHIRE SMI, as shown. I believe all of the FLORIDA & NORTH CAROLINA SMI serial numbered and hallmarked pieces also carry the mintmark. I'm not sure how many other state SMI pieces have mintmarks.
#17 Hallmarked and Mintmarked 😁
The sharp eyes of Sterling Ward noticed that Bernard's mintmark stamp was a different size on these two pieces. (Photo courtesy of Sterling) Of the three Michigan RCOs who participated in the production of the Michigan SMI, only Jeff Kotchounian ordered pieces with Bernard's triangle mintmark stamp on them, so the Michigan numbered and hallmarked pieces exist both with and without these mintmarks. Since there were multiple orders of the Michgan piece, I suspect that the small stamp was used on one order and the large stamp on another order. At any rate, the die hard collector might want to try to find pieces with each size triangle stamp on them.
#22 Mintmarked 😁
Florida Bash Hallmark 😁
BVNH had a special stamp made for the first Florida Bash event. It was stamped only on Florida SMI pieces distributed at that event.
Libertyfest Hallmark
This hallmark was done by New Hampshire RCO Charles Hampe for the Libertyfest held in that state. They were only on New Hampshire SMI.
CH Hallmark
Charles also had a personal mintmark stamp made, which he stamped on a variety of pieces. They were generally reserved for New Hampshire pieces, but below is a Texas SMI with his stamp.
Wisconsin Hallmark
This hallmark was created especially for the 2007 Milwaukee ANA piece. It was stamped on them (see the #54 reverse on the $20 base page) as they were sold at that event.
This is a special piece BVNH did just for me at the event. I bought a tube of 20 pieces with the WI hallmark on the Generic (GI) 2006/2007 double date (#47).
Highest private sale $400 on 8/23/2019. 😁
To the best of my knowledge, this was the extent of the pre-raid special hallmarks. After the raid, the Arrest, Scales of Justice and Trial hallmarks were created.
Arrest Hallmark
The arrest hallmark was put on a variety of pieces. Some of them are pictured below. 😁
(2007/2006 one ounce w/ arrest HM highest known sale price $320)
Scales of Justice Hallmark 😁
The scales of justice hallmark was placed on a variety of pieces.
Trial Hallmark 😁
I Have not seen many of the Trial hallmarks. Arrest Hallmarks and the Scales of Justice are obtainable, but this one is seldom seen.
Bill Of Rights Hallmark 😁
To the best of my knowledge, the Bill of Rights hallmark was used only on the Ron Paul pieces, silver, gold and platinum.
It would not surprise me to see it show up on something else, however.
Peace Hallmarks 😁
Three different peace hallmarks exist on the 2008 naked back series (also listed on the RCO hallmarks page) and one on the Stop The War 1/2 ounce piece.
The three 2008 hallmarks are RCO hallmarks and I believe the Stop The War one is a BVNH hallmark. I wouldn't be surprised to see them on other pieces.
(I sold The Stop the War piece below with the peace sign hallmark on 3/9/2021 in a private sale for $500. Ron)
LIBO 2013 Hallmark
No special punch was made for the Libertopia event in 2013. A standard set of number and letter punches was used to mark the pieces as show below. They were sold only at the Libertiopia event.
USA Hallmark
Here is a #59 with the USA hallmark and Bernard's personal mintmark hand stamped on it. I have no idea what all the USA hallmark may be on. Thanks to Jerry Caruso for this photo.
Liberty Bell hallmark
I have never seen one with the Liberty Bell hallmark but I know they exist because I did the artwork for the stamp for BVNH. A gentlman named Arthur who lives in Florida contacted me in 2011 and said he had 950 of them. BVNH confirmed that for me. I figure he must have owed this guy for a big favor to give him an exclusive on a unique hallmark. Below is the artwork for the stamp, which I did.
If you have a Liberty Dollar with this hallmark, please send me a good photo and I will post it here with credit to you. LRGoodger *at* gmail *dot* com.
This is the first photo I have ever seen of an actual piece with the Liberty Bell hallmark on it. It is a 1/10th ounce 2008 naked back. It was on ebay and was brought to my attention by Joe Tietjens (choppedtriumphs on ebay).
Liberated Liberty Dollar Hallmark (2018)
There is a new Hallmark out, first seen on Ebay in April of 2018. It is the letters LLD (Liberated Liberty Dollar) in a shield as shown in the photo below (compliments of New Hampshire RCO Charles Hampe, who struck this piece). This hallmark is being put on pieces that were seized in the 2007 raid and have been returned to innocent victims by order of judge Voorhees. Six stamps were made. BVNH has one and Charles Hampe has one, as do several other RCOs.
2022 SDCA Hallmark
These three photos, showing pieces stamped 2022 SDCA, were sent to me by Brian Shumway. He says these pieces were created at a special event held in San Diego, CA in 2022.
The image below was submitted by Sterling Ward. He said this piece was personally scratched out for him by Bernard at the MMNS table at a Bud's gun show in 2011. The MH stands for my handcuffs and the B is Bernard's autograph. The piece used was a 2006/2007 double date (#47). According to Sterling, Bernard did this with the nail he (Sterling) provided. The guy in line behind Sterling asked if he could use his nail to have one done for him as well, and he did. Before they left the show, Sterling bought the other guy's piece from him, so Sterling says he has the only two pieces that were done this way (as far as we know - Bernard could have used another nail to do more).
There may be other BVNH hallmarks of which I am unaware, but I believe this covers most of them. If you know of something different and send me a good photo of it, I will have it confirmed and give you credit for the photo submission.
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A Really Special Liberty Dollar 😁
The two-part Quarter (highest known sale price $810 by Jerry Caruso 3/24/2015, ANACS slabbed & graded OBV-MS64, REV-MS63 - $1295 by ebay seller keepstackn 10/4/2015)
This piece, or more properly, set of pieces is something really different. Bernard wanted to do something special as a token of appreciation for all the hard work of the RCOs at LDU 11 in Skokie, IL in late September of 2006 and the 1/4 ounce Silver Liberty had just been introduced a few months before. A few Michigan RCOs got a preview of this piece at a get together in Lapeer, Michigan in July that Bernard attended where he gave each RCO a set. Again in September at the RCO congress (where I was voted out of the three man RCO governing board in Sept. 2006, contrary to the FBI affidavit filed a year later in Nov. 2007) each attending RCO was given a set. What Bernard did was to take TWO of the 1/4 oz planchets (blanks) and have them both placed in the press at the same time and stamped together using the dies of the standard 1/4 oz obverse and reverse. When the concave and convex surfaces of the two pieces are carefully aligned with slight pressure, they will lock together quite strongly because of the rough surface, kind of like micro-velcro. They will roll across a table top stuck together with no problem. You have to drop them on a hard table top from 3 or 4 inches to get them to fall apart. If you look carefully at the first photo below, you can see the concave and convex Liberty Head impressions (the gold look on the left piece is just lighting). The other photo shows the joined halves locked together and standing on edge. I don't know how many sets were made, but I do know that they were never sold to the public. There can't be very many of them.
10/5/2015 Addendum;
The ebay ad by keepstackn billed this item as "The rarest NORFED in the world". That may or may not be a true statement. I personally saw approximately two dozen sets given away in Skokie, IL and Lapeer, MI. It's a safe bet that more were given away to personal friends of BVNH. I would guess at least 50 sets were produced and possibly even 100. With the Evansville piece catapulted into rarity by the FBI seizure and no possibility of any being returned to the public because of their contraband status, I suspect that it is even rarer than the split quarter. See the description of it under #55 on the $20 base page.
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