Q. David Bowers
Silver source note: Just as swords were beaten into plowshares in antiquity, in 1871 some melted down silver trumpets used by Philadelphia's Diligent Fire Engine Company Co. 10 were the source for bullion to make Liberty Seated dollars, both business strikes and Proofs.
Pattern commentary: The Mint directorships of James Pollock (May 1861 to September 1866 and again May 1869 to March 1873) and Dr. Henry Richard Linderman (April 1867 to April 1869 and again from April 1873 to December 1878) were times of free-for-all activities in the coiner's department. Large numbers of unnecessary patterns were struck.
The Standard Silver coinage (as noted earlier, this term is not to be confused with the standard silver dollar; STANDARD was a description used on the reverse of certain pattern 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, and $1 pieces intended to be made of lower weight to redeem Fractional Currency notes) in particular was abused, and needless variations were made in these combinations, each in sets similar to those of 1869:
1. Silver with plain edge.
2. Silver with reeded edge.
3. Copper with plain edge.
4. Copper with reeded edge.
5. Aluminum with plain edge.
6. Aluminum with reeded edge.
Certain pattern dollars of 1870 and 1871 were denominated STANDARD 1 DOLLAR. Cf. Dr. J. Hewitt Judd, United States Pattern, Experimental and Trial Pieces for details.
Limited numbers of "trial strikes" were made of regular Proof dies, including Liberty Seated dollar dies, in other metals; these were not openly sold. Thus, collectors with the right connections could obtain Proof sets of certain years, complete from the Indian cent through the $20, struck in aluminum or copper. Few records were kept of such pieces produced.
The point of mentioning this here is that regular Proof mintages (such as for Proof Liberty Seated dollars of the normal design) mayor may not be accurate. There is no evidence to suggest that Mint figures for Proof dollars are wrong, but it is worth noting that the possibility exists.
Varieties
Business strikes:
1. Normal Date: Breen-5487. Obverse: With 7 and 1 in date nearly touching. The most plentiful variety. Many minor varieties occur among obverse date positions, but these have never been classified.
2. Normal Date: Breen-5488 Obverse: With 7 and 1 farther apart than preceding. Apparently scarcer.
Proofs:
1. Proof issue: Breen-5487. Obverse: 7 and 1 in date nearly touch. Border denticles normal. Further description needed.
2. Proof issue: Breen-5488. Obverse: Date slightly below center. 7 and 1 in date spaced apart. Shield point over left upright of first 1 in date; left base of first 1 right of left edge of denticle; right base of final lover space between denticles and farther from the border than the first 1. Early strikings have normal denticles. On later strikings, from repolished dies, the denticles at the right are smaller and have larger spaces between them. Reverse: Some very minor doubling on the left wing feathers (not an unusual feature for this period, Walter H. Breen notes). Scattered faint die file marks in the base of the shield. Traces of inner arc at denticles over E and ST of UNITED STATES.
3. Doubled Reverse Die: Reverse (this die also used to coin 1872 and 1873 Proof silver dollars) with portions of the motto sharply doubled, IN GO particularly so, but noticeable on most of IN GOD WE. For example, the letter I has two sets of serifs at top and bottom.