1868

The 1868 Seated Liberty Dollar runs to 162,700 pieces at the Philadelphia Mint, with production scaled up sharply from the 47,525-piece 1867 figure as Seated Dollar coinage continued recovering in the post-Civil War era. The 1868 carries the standard Christian Gobrecht obverse and the With Motto reverse that defines the series from 1866 through 1873. The production increase reflects post-war silver-coin demand recovery and continued strong silver-bullion availability from western mining operations including the Comstock Lode silver flow into Treasury bullion deposits.

Strike quality on the 1868 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 1868 Seated Dollars grade VF to AU from circulation in the late 1860s and 1870s, 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 1868 represents one of the more available Type 2 Seated Dollars at mid-grade across the modern collector market.

The 1868 is a regular common date for the Type 2 Seated Dollar era and a standard mid-grade pickup at the regular pricing tier. The 1868 pairs with the 1866 Motto, 1867, and 1869 as the matched late-1860s Philadelphia group. 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. Mid-grade Seated Dollar demand reflects the steady year-set acquisition pattern, with collectors pairing each Philadelphia date with the matched branch-mint issue where available and adding the proof companion for full-year coverage. Strike quality on this date varies meaningfully across the small surviving population, with PCGS and NGC certified-pop distributions skewed toward the mid-Mint State range reflecting the standard nineteenth-century proof survival profile. For the post-Civil War Seated Dollar production context and the broader Type 2 era, see the Seated Liberty Dollar series history.