1870

The 1870 Seated Liberty Dollar runs to 416,000 pieces at the Philadelphia Mint, holding the strong production pace established in 1869 and continuing the late Type 2 Seated Dollar era. The 1870 carries the standard Christian Gobrecht obverse and the With Motto reverse that defines the series from 1866 through 1873. The 1870 also marks the first year that the Carson City Mint struck Seated Liberty Dollars, with the matched 1870-CC issue catalogued separately, and the resumption of San Francisco Seated Dollar production after a ten-year gap was attempted but produced the legendary 1870-S unique-class issue rather than a standard mintage.

Strike quality on the 1870 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 1870 Seated Dollars grade VF to AU from circulation in the early 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 1870 represents one of the more available Type 2 Seated Dollars at mid-grade.

The 1870 is a regular common date for the Type 2 Seated Dollar era and a standard mid-grade pickup at the regular pricing tier. The 1870 pairs with the 1870-CC as the matched first-year Philadelphia and Carson City Seated Dollar production pair, and with the legendary 1870-S as part of the three-mint 1870 trio (the 1870-S being one of the most famous American numismatic rarities). 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. Modern Seated Dollar collecting interest centers on the Carson City branch-mint subset, the 1851-1852 Key Date pair, the 1858 proof-only year, and the legendary 1870-S unique-class rarity that together define the apex of the Seated Dollar collecting landscape. For the first-year Carson City context and the 1870-S mystery, see the Seated Liberty Dollar series history.