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Sale 4
Lot 1405
1850 Liberty Seated Dollar. AU-50. This coin shows some hairlining, the kind which appears so very often on the Seated Liberty dollar series. We've seen some scrubbed coins in AU55 slabs, but we've decided to be conservative with this coin. Both sides are somewhat prooflike, which of course emphasizes what hairlines there are. There is no toning to hide anything. Take the piece out of harsh light and you see glittery luster. The rims are square, with a small "fin" (if you're unfamiliar with this term, read the description of the 1851-O dollar in this sale) on the left obverse. The design is deeply impressed on both sides. No major marks or cuts--only a short scratch between stars 2 and 3, a few chattermarks, and a faint flaw beneath the eagle's left wing (our left, its right, actually). Oh, what a little natural color would add to this coin!
The 1850 Philadelphia Mint silver dollar has long been touted (and we mean long, and we mean touted) by auction cataloguers and retailers as extremely rare, based on its mintage of 7,500 pieces. But, while rare, it's not extremely so. Glance at the PCGS Pop Report to see what we mean. That's surely flawed by resubmissions, but the report on 1850 shows 92 coins reviewed, while many dates (the 1860s are loaded with rarities) show fewer reviewed--and some of them are certainly spent Proofs. By way of comparison, the 1850's brother, the elusive 1850-O, with a mintage of 40,000 and long ignored by touters, shows only 77 pieces submitted. It's easy to figure. The Philly issue was made in a civilized place of bankers and industrialists who saved coins each year. The New Orleans piece was struck in a relative backwater; although it was a port town, it wasn't a place where the wealthy necessarily saved coins each year. Those forty thousand 1850-Os got spent! They are rarer than the 1850 Phillies, period, despite mintage figures. Of course, 1850 is still an elusive date; 92 coins in all are not many to choose from, are they? And the date has a certain appeal as the mid-century issue. So it will always be a good coin to own. If you want one, and don't want to pay the moon, here's an attractive example for your bidding consideration.
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| Realized $1,898 |
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