156
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Dollars
P
ROOF
O
NLY
1858 L
IBERTY
S
EATED
D
OLLAR
928
1858
.
PCGS graded Proof 63
. Only 300 minted. Light
hint of gold obverse toning. Very popular coin. A glistening
Choice Proof with luster that practically flies off the reflec-
tive surface. Subtle hints of champagne and other light col-
ors bring out the expansiveness of the strike while it
enhances the unexpectedly beautiful eye appeal of this
coin. The obverse is razor-sharp while the reverse is only
slightly less so, with most of the eagle properly impressed
by the die, but only reasonably so along the left wing’s
upper edge. (This is common on both Proof and circulations
strike Seated Dollars. It may be due to this area of the
design being in higher relief than it should have been.)
The 1858 Dollar has long been considered to be a classic of
the series. No specimens were struck for circulation, so the
only surviving pieces are those made in Proof. Often a long
span of time will elapse between offerings of these, particu-
larly the choice quality offered here. Another major oppor-
tunity for the Silver Dollar specialist.
Pop 30; 11 finer, 7
in 64, 4 in 65
. (
PCGS # 7001
)
Estimated Value ........................................ $8,000 - 9,000
M
INT
S
TATE
1859-S L
IBERTY
D
OLLAR
929
1859-S
.
PCGS graded MS-61
. Nice light gold toning.
Only 20,000 minted. An historic issue, the 1859-S is the
first Silver Dollar struck in the San Francisco Mint. It is also
the only S-mint date in the No Motto Seated Dollar series
that was issued from 1840 until 1866; one of just three San
Francisco Mint deliveries in the entire Seated Dollar series.
The '59-S was produced solely for export to the Orient. A
case might be made that survivors of this 20,000-coin
delivery are so elusive in today's market that virtually the
entire mintage must have been sent to the Far East. Once
overseas, these coins were melted because they were
lighter than their Mexican 8 Reales counterparts, a coin
they were meant to compete with, and one that Oriental
merchants favored over all others. Very few 1859-S exam-
ples were retained stateside, and even fewer escaped the
melting pot once exported. This, then, is one of the scarc-
est issues in the entire Seated Dollar series, and it is a sig-
nificant condition rarity in all Mint State grades.
A gorgeous strictly graded MS61 meeting the tight require-
ments by the grading service for this designation. The orig-
inal toning mingles nicely with the luster, and exhibits some
lovely iridescence in the blues and amber-golds.
Pop 3; 14 finer, 6 in 62, 7 in 63, 1 in 64+
. (
PCGS #
6948
)
Estimated Value ...................................... $9,000 - 10,000
930
1860-O
.
PCGS graded MS-62 PQ.
CAC Approved
. A nice
untoned example with semi-reflective fields and only a modi-
cum of the usually seen bagmarks. Sure looks like a MS-63 coin.
Most of these bright and lustrous BU 1860-O (and 1859-O)
Seated dollars trace to the US Treasury Department where sev-
eral original bags were released to the public in the 1960s.
(
PCGS # 6950
)
Estimated Value ..............................................$2,000 - 2,100
