The only silver dollar among the classic United States commemoratives struck from 1892 through 1954, the 1900 Lafayette dollar was spearheaded by the Lafayette Memorial Commission to help raise funds for a statue of General Lafayette in Paris. General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette brought French troops to help fight in and support the Revolutionary War in America. He is profiled in a jugate portrait with George Washington, making this the first official legal tender United States coin to profile the likeness of a former president.

The coins, credited to sculptor-engraver Charles Barber, were sold by the Memorial Commission for $2 each, though only 36,026 from a total authorized mintage of 50,000 pieces. This coin is frequently encountered in grades of AU50 through MS65, though higher-graded examples are quite scarce.