1873 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-2. Rarity-2. Unc Details--Cleaned (PCGS).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." The present example is attractive for the grade with abundant luster and vivid, mottled toning that finds greater expression on the obverse.PCGS# 6971. NGC ID: 24ZM.From the Collection of James Allaire Millholland, 1842-1911.
