1861 Seated Liberty Dollar
Base
About This Coin
The 1861 Seated Liberty Dollar is a United States dollar from the Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 series — 22nd of 34 years in the series. In 1861, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 78,500. This ranks 20th of 34 years by total mintage, above the series median of 61,818. The obverse features Liberty seated on a rock, holding a pole surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap in her left hand and a shield inscribed LIBERTY in her right and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Produced during the Civil War, when coin hoarding caused severe shortages and the Mint experimented with new compositions to keep coins in circulation. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 26.73 grams, 38.1 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 3 years after the celebrated 1858 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $1.3K to $7.2K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $76K in PR66 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
