1861 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-Unlisted. Proof-63+ Cameo (PCGS). Largely brilliant and snowy-white with a faint vanilla sheen blanketing each side. The devices are richly frosted and sharp, contrasting starkly with the icy reflectivity in the fields. Scattered minor hairlines are visible under scrutiny but the eye appeal remains strong for the assigned grade. From a mintage of 1,000 Proof silver dollars for the date, many of which were likely released into commerce in later years when they failed to sell to contemporary collectors. This specimen was struck by a die pair that goes unlisted by Osburn and Cushing (2018), combining Obverse 1861 P2 with Reverse 1856 PA. Reverse 1856 PA had previously been used to strike original Proofs in 1856, 1857 and 1858, as well as later Proof restrikes dated 1851 and 1852. Its usage on the Proofs of 1861 had been first identified by researcher John M. Pack after decades of examination of Proof Seated dollars. The present piece is a truly remarkable example of both this scarce die pairing and the overall issue. Surely a prize for specialists of Liberty Seated coinage.
