Seated Liberty dollar
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| Seated Liberty (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Value: | 1.00 U.S. dollars |
| Mass: | 26.73 g |
| Diameter: | 38.1 mm |
| Thickness: | ? mm |
| Edge: | reeded |
| Composition: | 90% Ag 10% Cu |
| Years of minting: | 1840–1873 |
| Catalog number: | - |
| Obverse | |
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| Design: | Lady Liberty seated holding the Union Shield |
| Designer: | Christian Gobrecht |
| Design date: | 1837 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design: | A Bald Eagle holding arrows and an olive branch with the Union Shield on its chest |
| Designer: | Christian Gobrecht |
| Design date: | 1840 |
The Seated Liberty Dollar is a silver dollar coin issued by the United States government from 1840 to 1873. The coin is named for the obverse design which was uniform and matched the Half dime, Dime, Twenty-cent piece, Quarter, and Half dollar. Its obverse and reverse were both designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Contents |
[edit] Specifications
- Obverse design: Lady Liberty seated holding the Union Shield
- Reverse design: A Bald Eagle holding arrows and an olive branch with the Union Shield on its chest
- Edge: reeded
- Weight: 26.73 g
- Diameter: 38.1 mm
- Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
- Silver Content: 0.77344 troy oz (24.057 g)
[edit] History
Seated Liberty Dollars were introduced in 1840 and were minted in larger quantities than the sparsely minted Gobrecht Dollar that preceded it. The dollars were used in general circulation until 1853. In 1853, the value of the silver was more than the face value of the coin. The coin was continued to be minted mainly as a trade coin to be used in the Orient. This ended in 1870 when the price of silver lowered allowing the dollars to be placed back in normal circulation.
[edit] Mints
Mintmarks appear underneath the eagle's talons on the reverse. Mintmarks include:
- Blank (P - Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- CC (Carson City Mint in Carson City, Nevada)
- O (New Orleans Mint in New Orleans, Louisiana)
- S (San Francisco Mint in San Francisco, California)
[edit] Rarities
This series boasts some spectacular rarities. Of this series, the most valuable coin is the 1870-S, with 12-15 known. However, the rarest of the series is a single known 1851-O, a coin struck under unknown and mysterious circumstances. It is not listed in the Guidebook of United States Coins, and is also unlisted in Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of US and Colonial Coins. Its value likely far exceeds that of the 1870-S, but as it has not been offered for sale publicly, nor any private sale confirmed, its value at this time is unknown.
Also quite rare are the issues of 1851, 1852, 1858 (which was a proof-only restrike in the 1860's-1870's), 1871-CC, 1872-CC, and 1873-CC, all with only 50-500 pieces of each known to exist.
The 1866 No Motto piece is correctly described as a fantasy piece, created in the 1870's along with the No Motto quarter and half dollar, for a favorite Mint customer. There are 2 known, and they are classified as patterns, and not regular issues nor restrikes.
[edit] See also
United States Seated Liberty coinage
[edit] References
- Yeoman, R.S. A Guide Book of United States Coins Atlanta: Whitman Publishing, 2004
- Edler, Joel and Harper, Dave U.S. Coin Digest Iola: Krause Publications, 2004
[edit] External links
- US Seated Liberty Dollar by year and type. Histories, photos, and more.
- Seated Liberty Dollar Mintages at coinfacts.com
| Preceded by Gobrecht Dollar |
Dollar Coin of the United States (1840-1873)
Concurrent with: Liberty Head Gold Dollar - Type I (1849-1854) Small Head Indian Gold Dollar - Type II (1854-1856) Large Head Indian Gold Dollar - Type III (1856-1873) |
Succeeded by Morgan Dollar |
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