new obverse to correct them. The firm selected was Tiffany 8 Co. in New York, and its head designer, James Horton Whitehouse, was asked to submit sketches. Whitehouse was a seal engraver, jewel cutter, and art designer of exceptional skill, taste, and artistic judgment. A great deal of research went into these two designs, going back to the original written description adopted in 1782. The Tiffany die of the obverse differs radically from all earlier dies. It is formal and heraldic, rather than realistic, and it served as the pattern for the die in use today. Its 3-inch diameter makes it larger than its predecessors, and the eagle once again carries 13 arrows. The olive branch has 13 leaves and 13 olives on it, and for the first time, the cloud of the crest is in the form of a complete circle.
But it is the eagle itself that has undergone the greatest change. Gone are the thin-kneed eagles with L-shaped legs, replaced by a muscular and unmistakably American bald eagle. More of the body appears above the shield, and the engraving is so skillfully done that the break between the white feathers of the head and neck and the dark feathers of the body is visible in both the die and the impressions. In another departure, the eagle grasps the olive branch and arrows in large, strong claws from behind, not from the front, as previously drawn.
Although a die for the reverse was ordered from Tiffany & Co. and funds were appropriated, the die was not cut. With the passing of pendant seals in 1871, there was no practical use for it.
1904
After only 17 years of use, the steel Tiffany die of 1885 was no longer producing a sharp impression, probably due to a worn counter-die. Whatever the reason, the Department ordered a new die in 1902 and funds were appropriated. Although there was some debate about changing the design, the instructions that went to the Philadelphia firm of Bailey Banks & Biddle were to "furnish a fac-simile" of the design of the Tiffany die "nor later than June 15, 1903."[1] The new die was engraved in hardened steel by Max Zeitler, and impressions from it are nearly identical to the 1877 die. There are differences, however. Impressions from the Zeitler die are sharper and clearer, particularly in the feathering die as exactly as possible.
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1904
- Great Seal of 1904 by Bailey Banks & Biddle in Philadelphia. The engraver, Max Zeitler, was instructed to reproduce 1885 die as exactly as possible.
10
- ↑ Actual delivery was delayed until January 1904, although the press is engraved "June 15, 1903." The die has been referred to as the die of 1903 because of this, but the 1904 date is more customary.
