1864

The 1864 Seated Liberty Dollar carries a 31,170-piece mintage at the Philadelphia Mint, continuing the lower Civil War-era production tier that defined the 1861-1865 Seated Dollar stretch. The 1864 carries the standard Christian Gobrecht obverse and the No Motto reverse that defines the series through 1865. The 1864 also captures the year that "IN GOD WE TRUST" was first authorized for U.S. coinage under the Act of April 22, 1864, though the motto did not appear on the silver-dollar reverse until the 1866 production year.

Strike quality on the 1864 is generally above average for the small-mintage year, with the low production keeping dies fresh and Liberty's head, the seated figure's drapery, and the eagle's central feathers coming up cleanly on most coins. Most surviving 1864 Seated Dollars grade VF to AU from limited Civil War-era circulation, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC populations clustering at EF and AU. Mint State examples are scarce above MS62 and genuinely rare at MS65 and above. The 31,170-piece original mintage produces a tight certified population concentrated in the EF and AU grade bands.

The 1864 is a Semi-Key issue and one of the most-collected Civil War-era Seated Dollars. Pricing trades at meaningful premiums above the more available pre-war and post-war common-date Philadelphia issues at every grade, with the gap widening sharply at MS63 and above. The 1864 pairs with the 1863 and 1865 as the matched 1863-1865 Civil War Semi-Key trio that defines the upper tier of the 1861-1865 Philadelphia group. Authentication concerns center on cleaning, polishing, and rim damage in the raw market; certified slabs from PCGS or NGC are the standard purchase route at all grade levels. For the Civil War silver-coin context, the April 22, 1864 motto authorization act, and the broader 1860s Seated Dollar arc, see the Seated Liberty Dollar series history.