1861 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-1. Rarity-5+. Unc Details--Altered Surfaces (PCGS). Smartly impressed, sharply defined surfaces reveal lively mint luster beneath an overlay of dusky sandy-gold patina. Much of the silver deposited at the Philadelphia Mint for dollar coinage in 1861 came from Nevadas rich Comstock Lode. Beginning in 1859, most of this metal initially found its way to California, where it flooded the market before being shipped East. In 1859, 1860 and 1861 U.S. merchants exported 1,250,000 silver dollars to China, where the coins were received at bullion value, although they were less popular than the slightly heavier Spanish-American dollars. Most of the 77,500 circulation strike dollars coined in 1861 were lost to future generations of numismatists in this manner, and Mint State survivors such as this are particularly elusive in todays market. From the Naples Bay Collection. From the Naples Bay Collection.
