I have been following with great interest the controversy concerning the Continental dollars and have discussed at some length with my good friend Rob Rodriguez, so my commentary will comeas no surprise.

The issue I have with the proponents that these are a U.S. issue is they have yet to address the 600 lb. gorilla in the room: there is NO contemporary American documentation stating that thesepieces were struck in the U.S. The U.S. documentation that does exist, the Pennsylvania Gazette and the New York Journal notices of 1776, merely note the proposal to strike coinage, notan actual striking, and make no mention of dollars or pewter. The Gazette notice is particularly weak as it states "We hear it is proposed..." Thus, it is nothing more than a RUMOROF A PROPOSAL.

The London accounts are the only ones that say that a mint was established by Congress and coins were struck. We'll ignore the fact that this may well be nothing more than a story gettingdistorted over time and distance and get to the salient point. If the one wishes to convince me that the London accounts are correct, then show me documentation of where the mint was and that dollarswere struck (any composition) or show me the authorizing legislation. Without contemporary American documentation, preferably from a Philadelphia source, then all the proponents have is some veryshaky circumstantial tales, with "circumstantial" probably being too strong a word to describe these stories.

It is an axiom that the proponents of a theory must provide firm proof of the theorem or it must be considered void, however the proponents of the "U.S. struck" theory have consistentlyfailed to do so. In fact, it is actually those arguing against that have provided contemporary American documentation that they WERE NOT struck in the U.S. in the form of Du Simitiere'sstatement. This statement is further corroborated by Dryander.

Regardless of whether one wishes to believe these statements or not, the simple fact is that both of these gentlemen were in a position to have knowledge of the subject and thus their statementscannot be dismissed out-of-hand. It is now up to the proponents to provide equally strong contemporary assertions that the pieces were struck in the U.S. or their theorem is then twice voided andwell on it's way to becoming a numismatic black hole.

"Interpreting" bits and pieces of stories and attempting to stitch them into support will not serve. The time for the proponents to provide solid, direct, substantive documentation islong past due. Like the current generation is so fond of saying, "Video, or it didn't happen."

Correction
Rob Rodriguez writes:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
ROB RODRIGUEZ ON THE CONTINENTAL DOLLARS (http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n44a13.html)
ONGOING THOUGHTS ON THE CONTINENTAL DOLLAR (http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n43a12.html)