1873 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-4. Rarity-3. MS-64 (NGC). Rare and inviting Choice Mint State preservation for this historic silver dollar issue. Brilliant surfaces exhibit a smooth satin texture that borders on full Gem quality. Sharply struck with eye appeal to spare.<p>The final circulation strike silver dollar of the Liberty Seated design type from the Philadelphia Mint, the 1873 is underrated compared to the 1871 and 1872. Standard silver dollar coinage was halted on March 29, 1873, pursuant to the terms of the Act of February 12, 1873, which abolished the standard silver dollar. By that time only 293,000 circulation strikes from 1873-dated dies had been produced, once again at the request of bullion depositors taking advantage of their last opportunities to exchange their silver for standard dollars. While many of these coins were likely used in the export trade, others were retained stateside. In both cases melting played the most significant role in reducing the extant population to only 350 to 500 coins. This estimate is per Q. David Bowers (2016), who observes, "These are much scarcer than the mintage might suggest." In Choice Mint State, as here, the 1873 is rare. It has been years since we have offered an example of comparable quality, and this fleeting opportunity certainly deserves the undivided attention of serious Liberty Seated dollar collectors.
