1853 Liberty Seated Dollar : A Collector’s Guide

By Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker for CoinWeek Notes …..
 

On a pair of Thursdays eight months apart, the Philadelphia Mint struck its entire mintage of 1853 Liberty Seated Dollars. The bulk of the mintage (39,000 coins) was struck on April 21, while the remainder was struck at the close of the year.

Unlike the silver subsidiary coins, which saw weight reductions in 1853 to stave off speculation, the dollar coin was not regularly used denomination and therefore was not considered when Congress passed the Coinage Act of April 21, 1853. The small number of dollar coins struck since the denomination was reintroduced in 1840 were primarily exported as bullion to pay foreign merchants, mostly from Asia and Latin America. Other dollars were held by banks, either as a speculative asset or to shore up their reserves.

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Market Data and Noteworthy Specimens

The United States Mint prepared two obverse dies for the issue, but every example we’ve seen seems to come from the same die (OC-1), which is identifiable by Liberty’s chin whiskers detail. Many show flatness on the right-side stars, losing definition on the radials at about star 10. While circulated coins of all conditions survive, they are most frequently found in certified holders in the About Uncirculated grade band. Just over 150 Mint State grading events have been reported by the leading grading services; most fall within the MS62 to MS64 range, and many of these appear to have been net graded.

U.S. coin expert Q. David Bowers has written that a small accumulation of Mint State 1853 dollars turned up in the 1970s or ’80s. This may account for the cluster of similar-looking Mint State examples with apricot-golden toning and subpar eye appeal.

Top Population: PCGS MS66+ (1, 2/2025), NGC MS66 (1, 2/2025), and CAC MS66 (2:0 stickered:graded, 2/2025).

• PCGS MS66 CAC #7425425: Stack’s Bowers, November 2014, Lot 10031 – $129,250.
• NGC MS65 #298194-001: Heritage Auctions, October 5, 2001, Lot 7182 – $18,400.
• PCGS MS64 #12615674: Heritage Auctions, July 30, 2008, Lot 795 – $13,800; “The Delexa Collection,” Heritage Auctions, January 10, 2024, Lot 3781 – $11,100. Faint golden-brown toning. Mostly brilliant. Right stars nearly fully struck.

• PCGS MS64 #39480072: As NGC MS64 #678418-008. Heritage Auctions, April 25, 2002, Lot 4044 – $7,475. As PCGS MS64 #39480072. Heritage Auctions, June 4, 2020, Lot 3089 – $9,000. Creamy color with streaks of orange gold toning. Criss-crossing discoloration in the field below stars 3-7. Stars weak on the bottom right. On the reverse, scattered ticks in the upper right obverse field.
• PCGS MS64 CAC #25624667: As NGC MS64 CAC #355453-002. “The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection,” Bowers and Merena, April 1997, Lot 2221; Heritage Auctions, January 6, 2011, Lot 5632 – $11,155. As PCGS MS64 CAC #2564667. Heritage Auctions, August 10, 2016, Lot 4192 – $12,925; Heritage Auctions, August 2, 2017, Lot 4028 – $11,162.50. Crusty reddish-brown hue throughout. OC-1.
• PCGS MS64 #05866004: Pinnacle Rarities to Eugene H. Gardner, February 2008; “The Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part II,” Heritage Auctions, October 27, 2014, Lot 98593 – $10,575; “The Mesquite Collection,” Heritage Auctions, April 27, 2017, Lot 4105 – $9,400. Frosty with faint latte hue. Blueish purple toning under date. Right stars weak. Thin diagonal scratch to the right of star 4. Right stars nearly fully struck. Thin diagonal scratch to the right of Liberty’s arm. Dark spot on N and D of ONE DOLLAR.
• PCGS MS64 #50187081: As NGC MS64 #1887062-002. “The Richard J. Chouinard Collection of United States Coins, Part One,” Heritage Auctions, January 14, 2005, Lot 8259 – $9,200. As PCGS MS64 #50187081. Heritage Auctions, July 29, 2005, Lot 6601 – $10,925. Frosty with wispy yellow discoloration. Right stars weak. Dark (reflective?) milling mark under the eagle’s beak.
• NGC MS64 #642629-019: Heritage Auctions, June 2, 2005, Lot 6657 – $8,050. Darkly toned in coppery-gold and lilac.
• NGC MS64 #2024165-010: Heritage Auctions, May 7, 2004, Lot 8010 – $8,625. Light apricot toning. Right stars weak.

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Design

Obverse:

The obverse features Liberty seated on a rock in classical flowing robes, her head turned to the right (viewer’s left). Liberty’s left arm is bent, her raised hand holding a Liberty pole with a cap. The right arm is extended downward at her side, with the hand balancing a shield with the word LIBERTY displayed in a curving banner. Thirteen six-pointed stars surround the seated figure inside a denticulated rim with seven on the left side, one between Liberty’s head and the cap, and the remaining five along the right. The date 1853 is centered at the bottom between the base of the rock and the rim.

Reverse:

On the reverse, an eagle is prominently displayed inside a denticulated rim. The eagle’s wings are partly spread but folded downward at the joint as if the majestic bird had just landed or was preparing to fly away. An olive branch is in the dexter claw (viewer’s left); the sinister claw clutches three arrows. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA encircles the top two-thirds of the coin inside the rim, with the ONE DOL. denomination centered at the bottom.

Edge:

The edge of the 1853 Liberty Seated Dollar is reeded.

Coin Specifications

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References

Julian, R.W. “The Silver Dollar, 1853-1873”, Numismatic Scrapbook Magazine. August 1964. 2124-2128. Data compiled and analyzed from the National Archives.
 

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