Regular silver dollar coinage resumed in 1840 with the Seated Liberty design — Christian Gobrecht’s seated figure (modeled by Robert Ball Hughes) on the obverse, and a new perched-eagle reverse shared with the quarter and half dollar. The design ran through 1873, when the standard silver dollar gave way to the Trade dollar and, later, the Morgan dollar.
Key facts
- Designed by: Christian Gobrecht / Robert Ball Hughes
- Issue dates: 1840–1873
- Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper
- Diameter: 38.1 mm
- Weight: 26.73 grams
- Edge: Reeded
The series has two types: No Motto (1840–1865) and With Motto (1866–1873, after IN GOD WE TRUST was added). Mintages were always modest — rarely over 100,000 a year — since the large coin was unpopular in the East and the West was thinly populated; many were later melted.
Key dates include the 1851, 1852, 1858 (a Proof-only year), and the 1873-CC. Approaching the “impossible” tier are the 1866 No Motto (a famous rarity) and the 1870-S, one of the great U.S. rarities.
We actively buy Seated Liberty dollars in every grade, from well-worn type coins to the key dates and rare CC and S-mint issues. Send photos for a free, no-obligation offer.