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1851 S$1 MS62 PCGS. The rarity of the 1851 dollar is w

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:15,000.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
1851 S$1 MS62 PCGS. The rarity of the 1851 dollar is w
<B>1851<img border='0' src='http://www.heritagecoins.com/images/star.gif' width=10 height=10>$1> MS62 PCGS.</B></I> The rarity of the 1851 dollar is widely recognized even outside the specialty of Seated dollar collectors. A mere 1,300 pieces were produced for circulation, with another 50-100 restrike proofs struck at a later date. The restrikes have the date centered, while originals (such as this piece) have the date high. It is generally believed that no original proof 1851 dollars were made, and indeed none have been certified by the two major services. It was believed as early as 1930 (by Neil Carothers) that the 1851 was not placed into circulation; otherwise, they would have been exported or melted. The second-rate status of the Seated Liberty dollar for the purposes of circulation can be seen by the paltry mintage of this and succeeding years, and is further confirmed by the massive output of gold dollars with 3.3 million pieces produced in 1851. The understanding of Congress with matters of coinage and the intrinsic vs. fiduciary value undoubtedly reached a highpoint in 1853 (a sad comment really on the current misconceptions that legislators labor under). In that year, the Act of 1853 essentially reduced the U.S. to fiduciary coinage. However, that was not true for all coinage, and for some reason the silver dollar was excepted. This, of course, meant that the pre-1853 reasons for exporting and melting (i.e., higher intrinsic value vs. face value) were still in effect for the dollar. As a result, mintages for dollars stayed relatively low until the Bland-Alison Act was passed in 1878.<BR> As with all 1851 dollars, the fields on this piece are bright and prooflike. Undoubtedly, this reflectivity has led many catalogers in the past to call such a coin a proof. Each side shows light die striations in the fields that impart this reflectivity. However, the coin's business strike status is easily confirmed by the presence of a clash mark of the eagle'