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Lot 0029 1851 Liberty Seated $1 PCGS MS60

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:20,000.00 USD Estimated At:40,000.00 - 60,000.00 USD
Lot 0029 1851 Liberty Seated $1 PCGS MS60
In 1851, the American public had no interest in using silver dollars as a circulating medium, preferring instead the much more prevalent (if risky) private banknotes and shinplasters then in use. The melt value of the silver in a silver dollar had risen to $1.034, almost double the premium of the previous year. To issue them was to see them disappear in a flash, so the Philadelphia mint struck over 3 million gold dollars in their place. Just 1,300 silver dollars were struck from a single pair of dies, and it's alleged that these were remained in Treasury vaults in the issue year. Today, Bowers, in his grand encyclopedia of silver dollars, describes the 1851 as the rarest Philadelphia issue in the Seated Liberty series. This rarity was recognized in the late 19th century, and as a result, many of the extant pieces are mint state, albeit modest mint states like the present MS60 specimen. This coin has nice original surfaces and color, with outstanding detail for so rare a coin. A compelling piece for the specialist and sure to inspire strong bidding among those who seek to own a validly rare piece of numismatic history.