1873-CC Liberty Seated Silver Dollar. OC-1, the only known dies. Rarity-4+. AU Details--Cleaned (PCGS).
Offered is a very sharp survivor of a legendary rarity in the Carson City Mint silver dollar series. Wear is minimal for the assigned details grade; there are no sizable marks, and the surfaces are retoning nicely in iridescent golden-gray. Wispy hairlines and a touch of glossiness explain the PCGS qualifier. Although the 1871-CC has a lower mintage (1,376 vs. 2,300 pieces), the final year 1873-CC is the rarest of the four Carson City Mint Liberty Seated dollars. The entire mintage was achieved in just two deliveries: 1,000 coins in January and 1,300 pieces in February. It is presumed that although 2,300 were struck, most were melted. Based upon the ratio of surviving pieces, Dave Bowers, working with R.W. Julian in Silver Dollars and Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia, 1993, estimated that no more than 1,000 reached the channels of circulation, and the number may have been closer to 750. As is the case with 1871-CC, the desirability of the 1873-CC was recognized at an early date, and quite a few were taken from circulation. Otherwise, the issue would be on the "rarest of the rare" list today. As it is, there are very few 1873-CC silver dollars to be had in any grade, and a great deal of patience is often required to locate one. Facts are scarce and the resubmission of expensive and rare coins such as this to third-party certification services tends to inflate estimates. The most recent information on the subject was in Rusty Goe's 2020 reference The Confident Carson City Coin Collector, in which he provided an estimate of 85 to 100 survivors. The rarity and desirability of the issue will certainly result in keen bidder interest in the present offering.
PCGS# 6972. NGC ID: 24ZN.

Estimate: $30000