Liberty Seated Dollars
The Liberty Seated Dollar was struck between the years 1840 to 1873 and represented the third major design type for the United States Silver Dollar. The series includes several noted rarities, which present a genuine challenge for collectors.
Sharing the same design as the contemporary quarter, dime, and half dime, the Seated Liberty Dollars feature a rendition of Lady Liberty seated on a rock. In one hand is a pole with a freedom cap on top, while the other hand rests on a shield inscribed "Liberty". There are thirteen stars around the upper rim, with the date below the image. The reverse of the coin features a bald eagle, with shield, olive branch, and arrows. The inscriptions include "United States of America" and "One Dol."
The design is credited to Christian Gobrecht and first appeared on the Gobrecht Dollars, minted as patterns before the current series. His obverse design was based on sketches created by artist Thomas Sully.
Completion of a full set of Liberty Seated Dollars is an incredibly daunting and expensive task due to a number of significant rarities included in the series, such as the 1851, 1852, 1870-S, and 1873-CC. The most difficult piece will be the 1870-S, of which only nine pieces are confirmed to exist.
Proof coinage for the series was struck at the Philadelphia Mint for each issue of the series, although the issues are not widely available until 1858 and onwards. The proof Liberty Seated Dollars from 1858 to 1870 is an approachable set, but should be assembled with an eye for original and problem free pieces.