Liberty Seated Dollar

Liberty Seated dollars link the experimental Gobrecht era to regular No Motto and With Motto coinage across four mints and nearly four decades.

This page includes the catalog's 1836–1839 transitional records and regular 1840–1873 dollars. Trade dollars and later Morgan dollars are separate types.

Core specifications

Issue period

1836–1873

Catalog mints

4

Reported catalog mintage

6,501,918

Composition

Varies by type

Diameter

Varies by type

Weight

Varies by type

From artistic experiment to branch-mint dollar

Christian Gobrecht's seated Liberty entered the dollar denomination through limited and technically complex issues before regular production began in 1840.

Gold discoveries, changing silver flows, Civil War disruption, the addition of IN GOD WE TRUST, and western branch-mint production all leave visible breaks in the catalog.

Obverse, reverse, and the details that identify the type

Confirm the major design, date, and mint mark before studying smaller die differences.

The main portrait and date

Liberty sits on a rock holding a shield and liberty pole. Stars or surrounding inscriptions and the placement of the date distinguish important formats.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

An eagle with shield holds arrows and an olive branch. IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle on the later major type.

Where the cataloged coins were made

Totals are calculated from reported issue records in this catalog; unknown figures are not counted as zero.

• P — Philadelphia: 1836, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873; 5,478,915. Philadelphia issues commonly carry no P mint mark in classic series; confirm the expected blank area rather than searching for a letter.
• O — New Orleans: 1846, 1850, 1859, 1860; 974,000. Confirm the O mint mark together with its expected year, position, and issue format.
• S — San Francisco: 1859, 1870, 1872, 1873; 29,715. Confirm the S mint mark together with its expected year, position, and issue format.
• CC — Carson City: 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873; 19,288. Confirm the CC mint mark together with its expected year, position, and issue format.

Representative issues that explain the series

A type set can tell the design story without attempting every low-mintage date. Specialists must separate originals, restrikes, patterns, and unusual branch-mint records.

• 1836 P - All Varieties — 1,600. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 1866 P - No Motto — 2. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 1870 S — 15. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.
• 1873 CC — 2,300. Open the issue page and read this record together with its type, mint, finish, and grade context.

Issue catalog

From one type coin to a complete catalog

• One representative coin: Choose one problem-free, readable example and learn the size, edge, and major design.
• Major-type set: Use one coin per major design to show changes in artwork, composition, or production.
• Dates and mints: Work through the issue catalog by date and mint, defining special finishes separately.

A note on catalog records

This page uses 74 issue records, 0 modeled varieties, and currently reported mintages; unknown values remain unknown.

Sources

1. The Evolution of Liberty on U.S. Coins — United States Mint
2. Dollar Coins and Their History — United States Mint
3. Liberty Seated Dollar category reference — PCGS CoinFacts