History of the Seated Liberty Dollar
The United States Mint minted Liberty Seated silver dollars from 1836 until 1871. The Director of the United States Mint, R. M. Patterson, tasked engraver Christian Gobrecht to prepare a pair of dies based upon designs by Tomas Sully and Titian Peale. The obverse motive features Lady Liberty seated holding a shield and a pole with a phrygian cap. Thirteen stars encircle lady liberty around the rim of the coin and the date is at the bottom underneath Lady Liberty. The reverse features an eagle clasping an olive branch and some arrows. United States encircles the top of the coin with the denomination specified as “ONE DOL.” Christian Gobrecht’s initial designs included his first initial and complete last name on the obverse of the coin. The mint produced less than 2,000 of these coins. By the time the mint began production for circulation use in 1840, the design did not include his name on the coin.
Key Dates, Rarities, and Varieties
The following Seated Liberty silver dollars in any condition, are worth considerable more than common Seated Liberty silver dollar. As such, these coins are frequently counterfeit or altered from common Seated Liberty silver dollar. Therefore, before you start celebrating your early retirement with your new found fortune, have the coin authenticated by a reputable coin dealer or third party grading service.
185118521866 Without Motto (Only two specimens are known to exist)1870-S (Only 12 to 15 specimens are known to exist)1873-CCAny specimen in uncirculated condition
Condition (or Grade) Examples
Circulated Seated Liberty silver dollars will exhibit wear across the entire surface of the coin. Details will be lacking on Lady Liberty’s head, torso, and legs. If your Liberty Seated silver dollar is uncirculated, the surfaces will be pristine, and all detail will be sharp and crisp.
Mint Marks
The United States Mint produced Seated Liberty silver dollars at four different mints using three different mint marks: Philadelphia (no mint mark), New Orleans (O), Carson City (CC) and San Francisco (S). The mint mark on the Seated Liberty silver dollar is located on the reverse of the coin, just below the eagle and above the denomination “One Dollar.”
Motto vs. No Motto
At first, Seated Liberty silver dollars did not have the motto “In God We Trust” on the reverse of the coin. In 1866 the motto was added to the reverse of the coin on a flowing ribbon above the eagle. There are two known specimens of 1866 Seated Liberty silver dollars without the motto. The difference between the Without Motto (1840-1866) and With Motto (1866-1873) is obvious.
Seated Liberty Silver Dollars Average Prices and Values
Below you will find the buy price (what you can expect to pay to a dealer to purchase the coin) and sell value (what you can expect a dealer to pay you if you sell the coin). First, locate the date and mint mark (see the photo above) on your coin. Next, determine if your coin is circulated or uncirculated. These are approximate retail prices and wholesale values. The actual offer you receive from a particular coin dealer will vary depending on the actual grade of the coin and some other factors that determine its actual worth.
