1852 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-P2. Rarity-7+. Proof-64 Cameo (NGC). CAC. An attractive and richly toned example with deep violet surfaces and flashes of rose-gold iridescence. Watery and reflective mirrors abruptly contrast the more satiny devices, imparting a cameo contrast that is superior to most others. Sharp and overall smooth, fully lacking in notable post-mint blemishes. This elusive issue owes its existence to the low mintage, key date status of the circulation strike 1852 silver dollar. The Philadelphia Mint struck only 1,100 silver dollars for commercial use in 1852, a fact that was not lost on contemporary numismatists. By the end of that decade the 1852 (along with the 1851) had established a reputation as a rare and desirable date in the silver dollar series. In 1859 (and perhaps earlier), the Mint began producing Proof restrikes of the 1852 silver dollar. These coins are an official issue, but rather were offered privately by Mint personnel. Several striking periods are supposed, the first ending in 1860 when Mint Director James Ross Snowden seized the dies and sealed them in a carton, per a (probably) fictitious scenario. In 1867 a new mint director, Henry R. Linderman, opened the carton (again, probably an imagined scenario), inaugurating a new period of restriking that probably continued intermittently until the end of Lindermans second term in 1878. The earliest known auction appearance of a restrike Proof 1852 silver dollar was in Edward Cogans Simon Gratz Collection sale of May 1, 1859. Since then, the popularity of this issue has grown as new generations of collectors have sought high grade examples of this key date Liberty Seated dollar. Just a single obverse die was used to strike all 1852-dated issues, including business strikes, Original Proofs, and Proof Restrikes. The OC-P2 variety, as offered here, is the rarest of the two confirmed die marriages used to strike 1852-dated Proof Restrikes. Osburn and Cushing (2018) also list a third Restrike die marriage that was previously proposed by Q. David Bowers, but this has yet to be confirmed. The OC-P2 variety features a reverse die first used on Original Proofs from 1856 and 1857, and it was later used for Restrikes dated 1851 and 1852. Original research by John M. Pack suggests that this reverse was also used to strike 1861 Original Proofs, based on the matching of several die markers including a lump on the rim below the L of DOL. Just about 6 examples of the OC-P2 marriage are thought to survive, and the present piece is surely among the finest. It is the sole example certified by NGC in the Cameo category and is also the only Cameo example to receive approval by CAC from any grading service. Surely a significant opportunity for advanced collectors of Liberty Seated coinage or 19th century Proof type.
