Choice Mint State 1845 Silver Dollar

High Condition Census Example Just One Graded Finer by PCGS

1845 Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-1. Rarity-2. MS-63 (PCGS).

This beautiful 1845 is an exceptionally well preserved example of one of the rarest silver dollars from the 1840s. In fact, the 1845 is incredibly challenging to locate in Choice Mint State or finer even relative to lower-mintage issues like the 1851 and 1852. The definition is razor sharp to full throughout the design and the surfaces have a satiny texture overlaid in slightly mottled sandy-olive and antique silver patina. This piece ranks among the finest that PCGS has seen, with only three examples listed in the present grade and a single coin graded MS-64. Throughout the 1840s the United States Mint struck silver dollars only at the request of bullion depositors who asked for this denomination. There was no significant supply of domestically mined silver available during that decade, limiting the amount of bullion available for dollar coinage. The net result for the silver dollar was a decade of low mintages, the highest only 184,618 pieces in 1842. The 1845 is one of the lowest mintage silver dollars from the 1840s (just 24,500 circulation strikes produced), second only to the 1844 with 20,000 coins struck. Most silver dollars of that decade circulated domestically, but were valued at a slight premium. Many were exported, especially to Europe. After 1852, nearly all Liberty Seated dollars were exported to the Orient, plus a smaller quantity to Europe via England. As such, the 1845 is more plentiful in circulated grades than issues such as the 1855 and 1856, which were largely exported. The small number of coins produced virtually guaranteed that even in worn condition the 1845 would rank among the scarcest silver dollars of its era. In Mint State the 1845 is a landmark rarity, "the rarest of all Liberty Seated dollars of the 1840s and [maybe] the rarest Philadelphia Mint Liberty Seated dollar, period" (per Q. David Bowers, 1993). What little numismatic demand existed for silver dollars during the 1840s was met by yearly Proof production (itself extremely small throughout that decade), and the circulation strikes were generally overlooked. This importance of this Choice Mint State example for advanced Liberty Seated and/or silver dollar enthusiasts cannot be overstated.

PCGS# 6931. NGC ID: 24YF.

PCGS Population: 3; with a single MS-64 finer.

From the Dazzling Rarities Collection.