Seated Liberty (1836-1873)

Suspension of the silver dollar coinage was lifted in 1831, however it took until 1836 for the new coin to appear. Mint Director R.M. Patterson ordered engraver Christian Gobrecht to prepare the deis based on a design by Thomas Sully & Titian Peale.

In January of 1837 the weight of the silver dollar was reduced to 412 &1/2 grains and a fineness of .900. The Silver coinage was discontinued by the Act of Febuary 12, 1873. Five years later by the Act of Febuary 28, 1878 the silver coin was reissued

The Seated Liberty Silver Dollar coin of 1836 to 1873 was the first regular issue coin of this denomination since 1803. Despite the long hiatus for the denomination, it still did not circulate well. Many of the mintage figures within the series are low for that reason (should it be surprising, considering that a skilled occupation paid $9.72 per six-day week in 1860?).

The No Motto variety was issued between 1840 and 1866, the motto "In God We Trust" added on the reverse between 1866 and 1873 due to the Act of March 3, 1865. The Mint Act of Feb. 12, 1873 abolished the coin in favor of the Trade dollar, an act called the Crime of '73 by opponents of the legislation. (Contributed by Richard Giedroyc)