1845 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-1. Rarity-2. Unc Details--Questionable Color (PCGS).Offered is a magnificent and desirable example of this pre-Civil War rarity. Silver and peach hues are set against fiery tangerine iridescence that glows under a light. This patina was acquired over the decades spent in a paper envelope from which it was removed for the first time in generations just months ago. Though called "Questionable" by PCGS, we are certain as to the wholesome and gradual origin of this color. The underlying surfaces are smooth and untroubled by blemishes, with a prooflike reflectivity apparent in the field on both sides. Richly frosted and very attractive.<p>With a production figure of 24,500 coins, 1845 is one of the lowest mintage silver dollars from the 1840s, second only to 1844 of which 20,000 were struck. Most silver dollars of that decade circulated domestically, but were valued at a slight premium. After 1852, nearly all Liberty Seated dollars were exported to the Orient, plus a smaller quantity to Europe via England. The small number of coins produced for this year virtually guaranteed that the 1845 would rank among the scarcest silver dollars of its era. Of the 1,250 or so coins believed extant (per Dick Osburn and Brian Cushing, 2018), most are well worn. The present piece is an important survivor of this issue and among the sharpest that we have handled in recent memory. Collectors should be sure to examine this piece closely. <p><p>From the William B. Martin Collection.