Insured for $10 million, a silver dollar from 1794 may be the first one ever struck by the U.S. Mint. European currencies circulated in the country at the time, and the government was eager to produce its own. The American Numismatic Association press release details the characteristics of the coin which has experts discussing its “first strike” potential. It was compared to a copper trial struck from the die, and carefully examined by several numismatic professionals. The “flat, smooth and glossy” surfaces and “minute die-preparation marks” contributed to its grading as a coin that was struck for presentation or as a specimen. Thus it is likely to have been one of, or the one, first silver dollar struck by the mint. Its exact pedigree is uncertain, but there is agreement that it is an important piece.