USA 1 dollar Seated Liberty 1860
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Scarce
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Krause number | KM# 71 |
| Mintage | 217,600 |
| 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
Like the 1859 silver dollar from the Philadelphia Mint, this issue is much more scarce than its mintage suggests. Most appear to have been intended for export to the Far East trade, where silver was the preferred medium of exchange. Why these coins weren't struck at the San Francisco Mint instead, as it was closer to the intended destination, has never been adequately explained. In any case, heavily worn examples are essentially unknown, indicating that very few 1860(P) silver dollars circulated domestically. This issue has a disproportionately high survival rate in Mint State, further reinforcing the notion that there was no domestic demand for silver dollars at the time. Few of these are gems, but a small handful of truly exceptional survivors are known, and these typically have semi-prooflike fields. Most 1860(P) dollars are well struck overall, with just faint weakness in the usual trouble spots of the stars and Liberty's head. Four obverse dies were utilized, and these were paired with five reverses in various combinations for a total of seven die marriages. One of these marriages featured dies used also for proofs, and there is a gray area in determining which coins from this marriage are PL currency strikes and which are weakly struck proofs. None of the many dies used possess collectable features, so interest in this date by varieties is extremely limited.Read More
