1852 $1 Restrike PR65 PCGS. CAC....

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1852 Seated Dollar Restrike, Rare Gem Proof
Tied for the Finest Certified

1852 $1 Restrike PR65 PCGS. CAC. Deep lilac and champagne-gold hues illuminate moderately mirrored fields on each side of this beautifully preserved Gem proof. The design elements are boldly impressed, a characteristic of the restrike issue, and the surfaces fail to reveal any noticeable flaws. Rarely are early proof Seated dollars found in such condition, and only when the most advanced collections are offered do such examples become available.

Population Data (5/14): PCGS has certified 15 pieces in all grades, with three PR65 and none finer. NGC has seen 13 examples, including two PR65 and none finer.

Heritage Commentary: Collectors discovered early on that as a date, the 1852 Seated dollar was prohibitively difficult to locate. This was due primarily to bullion dealers and speculators gathering up as many early silver dollars as could be found and melting them down to profit from the increased value of their silver content, caused by the massive influx of gold from California that upset the gold-to-silver value ratio. By 1858, collectors were pestering the Philadelphia Mint for examples of 1851 and 1852 dollars, and this aided in bringing about the restrikes of those dates. As became a common practice during the 1860s, a few more were coined to satisfy the demand, though the restrikes were coined from different dies from the originals and usually exhibit somewhat sharper design definition.

Bowers estimates 45 to 90 restrikes were coined of the proof 1852 Seated dollar and suggests that as few as 29 to 46 survive in all grades, though significantly fewer have thus far been certified or otherwise confirmed to exist. Not all collectors, however, differentiate between the restrikes and originals (of which Bowers estimates 15 to 30 pieces were coined). Akers furthermore suggests that all known proof 1852 dollars are restrikes. Bowers writes of this topic:

"With the exception of Walter H. Breen's studies, virtually no one has examined the situation in detail ... . More than for any other date in the Liberty Seated series dated in the 1850s, research remains to be done on the 1852."

Regardless of their year(s) of origin, proof silver dollars dated 1852 are rare in all grades, and this piece stands as one of the finest known. A foremost and important opportunity for the specialist to acquire one of the most storied key dates in the series.

Provenance: ANA Signature (Heritage, 7/2005), lot 10268; purchased from Anthony Terranova (11/2007).(Registry values: N10218)

Coin Index Numbers: (NGC ID# DN5B, PCGS# 6995, Greysheet# 7277)

Weight: 26.73 grams

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper

View Certification Details from PCGS