1841 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. Proof-63 (NGC).This lovely 1841 offers impressive Choice quality for this classic rarity in the Proof Liberty Seated dollar series. Fully struck with a uniformly mirrored finish, both sides of this coin are lightly toned in mottled iridescence, boldest at the peripheries. Most Proof 1841 dollars were struck from a reverse die identifiable by two minute defects on the right side of the final letter A in AMERICA. Familiar to specialists, that reverse die struck most Proof Liberty Seated dollars of 1840 to 1850. The present example, however, was struck from a different reverse die without the two aforementioned defects, but with several short die lines in the recessed areas between the horizontal shield stripes.The 1841 is one of the rarest Proof silver dollars of the Liberty Seated type. As with other No Motto silver dollars of the 1840 to 1857 era, this issue was produced in extremely low numbers during a time before the Mint had started marketing Proof coinage to collectors. It is likely that only a dozen or so Proof 1841 dollars were struck (Q. David Bowers, 2016, provides an estimated mintage of 10 to 15 pieces), most of which were distributed as part of Proof sets prepared for presentation or other official purposes. The popularity of the silver dollar as a denomination leaves open the possibility that several of these coins were distributed individually, and also possibly at a different time than those that left the Mint in Proof sets. The fact that the present example was struck from a different die than the other known survivors supports the linked theories of multiple striking periods and the distribution of some coins individually.Today, only six Proof 1841 silver dollars are positively known to exist in terms of market appearances and museum holdings. Four of these coins were struck from the aforementioned reverse die with two minute defects on the final letter A in AMERICA. The Smithsonian Institution example is presumed to have been struck from that same die, although this has not been confirmed through personal inspection. The present example was struck from a different reverse die, as related above. The six known specimens are as follows:1 - PCGS Proof-64. Ex Hollinbeck Coin Co.s Mail Bid Sale of February 1953, lot 29; David W. Akers sale of the John Jay Pittman Collection, Part II, May 1998, lot 1672; David Lawrences sale of the Richmond Collection, Part II, November 2004, lot 1506; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Rod Sweet Collection, July 2005, lot 1002; Heritages sale of the Greensboro Collection, Part III, April 2013, lot 4331; Heritages sale of the Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part II, October 2014, lot 98604.2 - PCGS Proof-63. Ex J.C. Morgenthaus sale of the George B. Hussey Collection, March 1940, lot 123; our (Stacks) sale of the Floyd T. Starr Collection, October 1992, lot 581; Superiors Baltimore 93 Auction of July 1993, lot 553; our (Bowers and Merenas) Kenneth C. Long Estate Collection sale, May 1995, lot 1211; Heritages sale of the Phil Kaufman Collection of Early Seated Proof Sets, Part II, January 2008, lot 3022.3 - NGC Proof-63. Ex Colonel E.H.R. Green; B. Max Mehls sale of the Jack Roe Collection, June 1945, lot 435; Jerome Kern; B. Max Mehls Golden Jubilee Sale, May 1950), lot 811; our (Stacks) sale of the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Family Collection, January 1984, lot 247; Heritages sale of the Queller Family Collection of Silver Dollars, April 2008, lot 2138.4 - NGC Proof-63. Ex our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, April 1997, lot 2205; Heritages sale of the Dr. John L. Pellegrini Collection, July 2005, lot 10257.5 - NGC Proof-63. <em>The present specimen</em>, prior provenance unknown.6 - Proof. National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution, part of an original 1841 Proof set.This is an important opportunity for advanced collectors of early Proof coinage or Liberty Seated dollars, and we recommend strong bids for this important rarity when it appears at auction at this years ANA Worlds Fair of Money.From the Collection of Carril Valparaiso.
