Proof “No Motto” Seated Liberty
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TN022_034:0603/lange_COL/coin album 1/7/08 1:12 PM Page 31 S I LV E R D O L L A R S Ⅲ N E I L S . B E R M A N Proof “No Motto” Seated Liberty Until the Mint made proof dollars available to the public, mintage of the series without the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was limited. ESIGNED BY U.S. Mint 1841. Of the 15 documented proofs, 1844. Eight proofs have been certi- Engraver Christian 4 have been certified. In his Encyclo- fied out of a mintage of 15. Breen Gobrecht, the “No pedia of U.S. and Colonial Proof Coins listed 8 different coins; I count only 6. Motto” Seated Liberty (ANA Library Catalog No. GA80.B7c), 1845. Mintage is estimated at 15 dollar was struck be- Walter Breen reported 5 coins; I be- to 20, depending on the source, with tween 1840 and 1866. lieve there are 6. 14 coins certified. Breen reported 7 Following a decades-long 1842. Eight of the 15 proofs minted coins, including the Smithsonian’s hiatus, dollar coinage re- have been certified. Incidentally, Breen specimen. (“B1” has a blundered date, sumed in 1836. U.S. Mint Director supposed that the late John Jay Pitt- while “B2” has a normal date.) But, by Robert Maskell Patterson requested man’s 1842 proof set was assembled my count, 8 proofs are extant. new dies, for which Gobrecht ren- piece-by-piece. However, Pittman told 1846. Again, mintage ranges from dered a seated image of Liberty for me his set was original, and dealer 15 to 20, with both blundered and the obverse and a flying eagle for the David Akers, who auctioned Pittman’s normal dates. Breen tallied 15 coins. reverse. The Mint adapted his Lib- collection, concurs. 1847. Mintage is 15, although popu- erty motif for the dollars of 1840, 1843. Mintage has been established lation reports indicate 16 proofs have though his flying eagle was cast aside at 15, with 7 certified. Breen identified been certified. Breen listed 12 coins in favor of the shield-bearing eagle 7, not including the one in the Smith- and 3 die combinations. with arrows and olive branch fea- sonian Institution’s National Numis- 1848. Fifteen proofs were minted, tured on lesser denominations of sil- matic Collection, which brings the with 10 certified. Breen noted 8 coins; ver coins. The motto IN GOD WE number of known specimens to 8. I believe there are 9. TRUST did not appear on the 1849. Eight of 15 coins have reverse until 1866. been certified. Breen stated This month, I’d like to take a that the dollars of 1840-49 look at the proofs in the No and 1852 that exhibit a die Motto series. Please remember chip between the T and E in that reports of certified popula- UNITED have a “possibility of tions are not infallible. I agree being restrikes.” with David Hall and John 1850. Mintage estimates Dannreuther of Professional vary from 20 to 35 coins, with Coin Grading Service (PCGS), 17 certified. I agree with Breen Mark Salzberg and Jeff Isaac of that only 7 proofs exist. Numismatic Guaranty Corpo- 1851. Sources indicate a ration (NGC) and professional mintage of 35 to 50, which I numismatist Silvano DiGen- strongly dispute. I have never ova, all of whom maintain that fig- seen an original. Numismatist ures can vary as much as 20 percent James Halperin, who has an amaz- because some proofs have been sub- ing memory, recalls a specimen he mitted more than once. loaned to PCGS for photographic 1840. Mintage is estimated be- purposes. DiGenova distinctly re- S E tween 15 and 50, depending on the members handling only one; per- V I H source of the data. Twenty-three haps it is the same coin Halperin C R A have been certified in all grades. I had. In any case, Breen listed a sin- A N would be surprised if individual ᮡ The Willis H. duPont specimen of the gle piece—and anyone who doubts A : S specimens totaled more than 10. 1866 “No Motto” Seated Liberty dollar Halperin or DiGenova is a fool! O T The reverse subsequently was used was graded Proof-65 by NGC. 1851 Restrike. Mintage is 35, of O H P for 1841 and 1842 proof dollars. which 17 have been certified. V w w w . m o n e y . o r g F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8 • T H E N U M I S M A T I S T 31 TN022_034:0603/lange_COL/coin album 1/7/08 1:12 PM Page 32 S I LV E R D O L L A R S Ⅲ c o n t i n u e d 1851-O. One is known to Halperin, tified. For the first time, the Mint and only one has been certified. offered them publicly, at $1.08 each. 1852. Of 35 proofs, only 1 has been 1859. Mintage is 800; 134 have certified. Breen noted 2, leaving the been certified. mintage open to question. 1860. Of the 1,330 struck, 514 were 1852 Restrike. Two of 35 have been sold. Only 139 have been certified. certified. Breen reported only 1. 1861. Of the 1,000 minted, 400 1853. Mintage is 15, and 6 have were sold. Ninety have been certified. been certified, none of which Breen 1862. Mintage is 500 to 550, with ever saw. 157 certified. The coin shares a reverse 1853 Restrike. Twelve of the 35 with the 1853 restrike. struck have been certified; one resides 1863. Mintage ranges from 460 to in the Smithsonian. 470, struck from 3 sets of dies; 139 1854. Mintage is 30, with 16 certified. have been certified. 1855. Fifty to 60 were struck from 1864. Most of the 470 struck were two dies, of which 15 have been certi- not sold and later were melted at the fied. This is the first of the “common Mint. Only 14 have been certified. date” proofs. 1865. Of the 500 struck, 163 have 1856. Of the 50 proofs struck, 37 been certified. have been certified. 1866. With a mintage of 2, this coin 1857. Mintage is 50, of which 32 generally is considered a pattern. have been certified. Both proofs have been certified. 1858. This proof-only date has a Next month, I’ll consider the proof mintage of 80 to 300, struck from “with Motto” Seated Liberty series. 2 to 3 pairs of dies; 68 have been cer- [email protected] 32 T H E N U M I S M A T I S T • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8 w w w . m o n e y . o r g.