Gem
1857 Liberty Seated Silver $1 PCGS PR65 CAC - $49,500. Click on Coin Image to
enlarge
1857
Liberty Seated Silver $1 PCGS PR65 CAC. A wonder Gem.
Only 50 struck. In its population report PCGS shows
2 in MS65, just 1 higher at PCGS. CACs population shows
2 in MS65.
Please contact
me by email
or telephone 1-941-291-2156
to reserve this great coin.
Christian Gobrecht designed
the Seated Liberty dollar. The obverse depicts Liberty
seated looking over her shoulder to the left. She balances
the Union Shield inscribed LIBERTY with her right hand
and holds a staff on which is placed a Phrygian cap
in her left. There are seven stars to the left and six
to the right interrupted by her head and the capped
pole. The date is below. The reverse shows the heraldic
eagle looking left. It is surrounded by the required
inscription and the denomination written as ONE DOL.
below. Dentils are around the periphery of both sides
of the coin.
Christian Gobrecht became
the third Chief Engraver at the United States Mint.
He was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1785. His father
was a German immigrant, and his mother traced her ancestry
to the early settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Gobrecht
married Mary Hewes in 1818. One of his early positions
was as an engraver of clocks in Baltimore. Later he
went to Philadelphia where he became a banknote engraver.
He invented a machine that allowed one to convert a
three-dimensional medal into an illustration.
This was an excellent
job and Gobrecht was understandably reluctant to work
for the Mint for less money than he was making at
the engraving firm. In order to persuade him to leave,
Mint Director Robert Patterson prevailed upon Chief
Engraver William Kneass, who had had a stroke, to
take less in salary so more money would be available
to hire Gobrecht on a permanent basis. In 1826 Gobrecht
did his first work for the Mint as an assistant to
Kneass. After Kneass’ stroke, Gobrecht did all
the die and pattern work for the Mint. He became Chief
Engraver in 1840 and served until his death in 1844.
He was famous for his Liberty Seated motif which was
used for all denominations of silver coinage including
the half-dime, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and
silver dollar. He also designed the Liberty Head gold
eagle, a motif that was also used on the half-cent,
the cent, the gold quarter eagle, and the gold half
eagle.
