USA 20 cents Seated Liberty 1875
USA, Philadelphia
Rarity
Extremely Rare
Attributes of Coins
| Region | USA |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 20 cents |
| Krause number | KM# 109 |
| Mintage | 2,790 |
| Metal | Silver 0.900 |
| diameter | 22 mm |
| weight | 5 g |
Obverse:
Liberty
Star
LIBERTY
Reverse:
Coat of arms
TWENTY CENTS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Introduction of Coins
Some 700 silver proof sets were sold in 1875. Since the new 20-cent piece was not available early in the year, when most collectors purchased their sets, it could also be ordered separately. Yeoman's Guide Book of United States Coins and Flynn's book on the series each give a total mintage for this issue of 1,200 pieces, which seems reasonable enough for the time, but the Brunner/Frost book pegs the total at a whopping 2,790 1875 proofs. The higher figure is taken from Walter Breen's 1988 Encyclopedia, and it may represent a total that includes coins later melted as unsold. Whatever the correct number, proofs of the 1875(P) 20-cent piece are very scarce. Gems are genuinely rare, and it seems odd that more have not survived in higher grades. Cameo specimens are very scarce, while Ultra Cameo coins are exceedingly rare.Read More
