1863 Seated Liberty Silver Dollar

1863 Liberty Seated dollars are incredibly scarce 19th-century type silver coins that are pursued by rare coin connoisseurs and others who appreciate classic United States type coinage. The 1863 Seated Liberty dollar is one of the toughest Seated Liberty dollars. Made during the height of the United States Civil War, far fewer of these Liberty Seated dollars exist today than were originally made, and their mintage figures were low from the onset.

Only 27,200 business strikes were produced, and 460 were made as proof specimens for collectors. Values for the circulation strikes range from $800 in Very Good-8 to around $3,600 for examples in Mint State-60. Proofs, meanwhile, are generally priced at around $5,000.

All 1863 dollars was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. However, Liberty Seated dollars were also struck at several branch facilities during their production, which spanned from 1840 through 1873. Christian Gobrecht designed the Liberty Seated dollar, and the design is replicated on several other silver denominations, including the half dime, dime, quarter, and half dollar of the period.

Liberty Seated silver dollars circulated during the 1840s and 1850s, but by the 1860s, they were mainly used for foreign trade. Their use in foreign exchange channels was mainly due to the increasing silver bullion prices of the 1860s, a period during which large silver coins were popular for trade with other nations.

The 1863 Liberty Seated dollar consists of a 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper composition. These coins weigh 26.73 grams, contain 0.77344 ounces of pure silver, and measure 38.1 millimeters in diameter. These are the same physical specifications of the Morgan and Peace silver dollars made during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.