1856

The 1856 Seated Liberty Dollar runs to 63,500 pieces at the Philadelphia Mint, with production scaled up from the 26,000-piece 1855 figure as Seated Dollar coinage recovered to a moderate level in the late 1850s. The 1856 carries the standard Christian Gobrecht obverse and the No Motto reverse that defines the series through 1865. The production recovery reflects easing silver-bullion economics and steady demand for silver dollars in banking and export, even as subsidiary coinage continued to absorb most depositor silver under the post-1853 weight regime.

Strike quality on the 1856 is generally above average for the date, with Liberty's head, the seated figure's drapery, and the eagle's central feathers coming up cleanly on most early-die-state coins. Most surviving 1856 Seated Dollars grade VF to AU from circulation in the late 1850s and early 1860s, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations clustering at EF and AU. Mint State examples are scarce above MS62 and condition rare at MS65 and above. The 1856 represents one of the more available mid-1850s Seated Dollars at mid-grade across the modern collector market.

The 1856 is a regular common date for the late-1850s Seated Dollar group and a standard mid-grade pickup at modest premium above the most common Seated Dollar baseline. The 1856 pairs with the 1857 as the matched 1856-1857 Philadelphia pair at the regular pricing tier. Authentication concerns center on cleaning, polishing, and rim damage from circulation; certified slabs from PCGS or NGC are the standard purchase route at higher grades. The Seated Dollar series is among the most actively researched nineteenth-century U.S. silver-dollar groups, with ongoing variety studies and pedigree research continuing to refine the modern understanding of die marriages, restrike attributions, and Mint production records. For the late-1850s Seated Dollar production context and the broader Seated Dollar arc, see the Seated Liberty Dollar series history.