1870-S Seated Liberty Dollar

Specifications

Denomination: 1 dollar
Series: Seated Liberty dollar
Designer: Christian Gobrecht
Years of issue: 1870
Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Weight: 26.73 g
Diameter: 38.1 mm
Edge: Reeded
Key mintages: Unknown — no public Mint records establish how many were made or even record their production (PCGS). Fewer than a dozen specimens known (PCGS); published accounts vary from nine confirmed to roughly a dozen believed struck (Coin World; CoinWeek).

Melt value: $49.85silver $64.40/ozt, copper $0.44/ozt · prices as of Sep 16, 2026

AI-generated illustration — not a photograph of a genuine coin.

Fewer than a dozen known, with no Mint records documenting how many were struck — one of the great rarities of American numismatics.

History

The 1870-S Seated Liberty dollar is one of the most famous American rarities: PCGS reports fewer than a dozen specimens are known, and there are no public Mint records establishing how many were made — or even recording their production (PCGS, accessed 2026-09-16).
The issue was first publicly seen at the 1914 American Numismatic Society Exhibition, decades after its striking (PCGS, accessed 2026-09-16).
Published estimates vary: Coin World historically reported nine confirmed examples and suggested perhaps roughly a dozen were struck, while CoinWeek reports roughly a dozen now known — the exact original mintage remains unsettled (Coin World; CoinWeek, accessed 2026-09-16).
A widely repeated theory holds that the coins were struck as presentation or souvenir pieces connected with the second San Francisco Mint, but this is a theory, not an established fact (PCGS; CoinWeek, accessed 2026-09-16).
Note: the unique 1870-S denomination is the half dime, not the dollar — the dollar has fewer than a dozen known examples, but it is not unique (PCGS, accessed 2026-09-16).

1870-S (San Francisco, S mintmark) — fewer than a dozen known; no recorded mintage; first publicly exhibited 1914 (PCGS; Coin World).

No published diagnostics found in consulted references — certification recommended.
Rarity caution: do not state a fixed mintage for this issue. PCGS states there are no public Mint records of how many were made; published accounts vary between nine confirmed and roughly a dozen known or believed struck (PCGS; Coin World; CoinWeek).
No freely licensed photograph of an 1870-S dollar was located in consulted references; auction and grading-service images are copyrighted and cannot be used. An illustration will be used.