USA 1 dollar Seated Liberty 1857
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Rare
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 71 |
| Mintage | 94,000 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| thickness | 2.8 mm |
| diameter | 38.1 mm |
| weight | 26.73 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
Creators:
Christian Gobrecht
ONE DOL.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
The Philadelphia Mint's production of silver dollars rose about 50% over that of 1856, yet the 1857 dollar is the rarer of these two dates. Co-authors Osburn/Cushing have estimated surviving populations of 600 and 400, respectively. It's known that American traders were purchasing silver dollars for export during the late 1850s, most of these coins going to the lucrative Far East market. It may be that most of 1857's production was shipped overseas and melted into bars after arrival. Two die marriages are known for the currency strikes. The first of these, OC-1, employed an obverse die used previously to coin proofs. It was then paired with a non-proof reverse die, and examples from this marriage are very scarce. The majority of currency 1857 silver dollars known today are from OC-2, which utilized a different pair of dies from which no proofs were coined. Though Mint State examples certainly are not common, a higher than usual percentage are choice or gem. Most suffer from weakness on the obverse, but a few, very rare well struck pieces are known. Some Mint State 1857 dollars are frosty, but this issue has a greater proportion of semi-prooflike pieces than for most dates in the series.Read More
