Great Seal > History > Dies
This first die was cut in September 1782.
(It had a crested eagle instead of the required bald eagle).
Impressions of Official Dies of the U.S. Great Seal
When the first die became worn out, it was replaced by the Throop die in 1841 (which incorrectly had only six arrows instead of the required thirteen).
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In 1825, a special die for treaties was cut and used concurrently with the first two dies. Larger and more elegant, the Masi treaty-seal was used for pendant seals.
Masi Treaty-Seal of 1825
(cover of its metal case)
The Baumgarten die was cut in 1877, but this fourth official die still had the wrong number of arrows.
A major effort went into creating the next die, the Tiffany die of 1885. It was the basis for the Zeitler die of 1904.
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The Great Seal die in use today was engraved in 1986
from a master die that's a copy of the Tiffany die.
It is the seventh die.
In 1885, Congress requested and purchased dies for both sides,
but the pyramid side has never been cut.
The U.S. government's most accurate medal engravings of the Great Seal are the Indian Peace Medals given out by President George Washington in the 1790s and the Centennial Medal of 1882. They are based accurately on the official written description that defines the appearance of the Great Seal.
The hexagram shape of the constellation of stars may have simply been a rearrangement of the 13 stars on the first American flag.