Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1871 Liberty Seated: Market Values
1821 Liberty Seated: Summary of Characteristics
Business Strikes:
Enabling legislation: Act of January 18, 1837 (weight and fineness); Act of March 3, 1865 (motto)
Designer of obverse: Robert Ball Hughes (after Gobrecht)
Designer of reverse: J.B. Longacre (after Hughes and Reich)
Weight and composition: 412.5 grains; .900 silver, .100 copper
Melt-down (silver value) in year minted: $1.025 Dies prepared: Obverse: 1; Reverse: 1 (estimates)
Business strike mintage: 1,073,800; Delivery figures by day: January 12: 8,000; January 13: 15,000; January 17: 15,000; January 23: 16,000; January 30: 16,000; February 3: 10,800; February 10: 15,000; February 21: 12,000; March 1: 14,000; March 11: 12,000; March 14: 12,000; March 15: 500; March 16: 9,000; March 21: 16,000; March 24: 14,000; March 28: 14,000; March 29: 10,400; April 12: 10,000; April 13: 7,700; April 17: 10,000; April 18: 10,000; April 19: 8,800; April 26: 10,000; April 28: 23,500; May 5: 8,900; May 9: 16,800; May 18: 12,000; May 20: 12,000; May 27: 10,000; June 2: 10,000; June 5: 16,800; June 10: 13,00; June 15: 10,000;June 17: 12,400;June 30: 12,000; July 5: 9,000; July 8: 24,000; July 10: 12,000;July 12: 19,000;July 13: 12,000;July 15: 6,000; July 20: 20,000; July 21: 22,000; August 4: 17,000; August 9: 20,000; August 11: 26,000; August 18: 17,700; August 24: 22,000; September 22: 12,000; September 25: 12,000; September 27: 12,000; September 28: 12,000; October 2: 12,000; October 5: 12,000; October 6: 12,000; October 9: 12,000; October 13: 12,000; October 17: 12,000; October 19: 20,600; October 30: 15,000; November 1: 8,000; November: 7,600; November 9: 12,000; November 10: 12,000; November 13: 12,000; November 14: 9,000; November 16: 15,000; November 17: 19,300; November 21: 12,000; November 22: 12,000; November 23: 12,000; November 24: 13,800; November 27: 4,000; December 2:
12,000; December 4: 10,500; December 8: 8,000; December 11: 13,000; December 13: 20,400; December 16: 7,000; December 20: 6,000; December 22: 5,000; December 26: 24,000; December 29: 13,300.
Estimated quantity melted: Unknown
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 8 to 12 (URS-4)
Approximate population MS-64: 25 to 40 (URS-6)
Approximate population MS-63: 40 to 60 (URS-7)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 100 to 250+ (URS-8)
Approximate population VF-20 to AU-58: 3,000 to 6,000+ (URS-13)
Characteristics of striking: Striking quality varies; some show weakness.
Known hoards of Mint State coins: At least several hundred were released by the Treasury Department in 1962-1964; additional pieces were recovered from an unknown shipwreck, "seawater Uncirculated," with porous surfaces.
Proofs:
Dies prepared: Obverse: 2; Reverse: 1 or 2.
Proof mintage: 960; delivery dates: January 16: 75; January 19: 50; February 9: 100; March 2: 200; March 24: 100; May 25: 100; July 31: 50; August 24: 50; September 20: 25; September 26: 100; November 11: 110.
Approximate population Proof-65 or better: 26+/- (URS-6)
Approximate population Proof-64: 82+/- (URS-8)
Approximate population Proof-63: 112+/- (URS-8)
Approximate population Proof-60 to 62: 245+/- (URS-9)
Commentary
This is the most common business strike date in the later Liberty Seated dollar series, 1866-1873 with IN GOD WE TRUST on the reverse.