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1848
 
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General Comments
1848 is a date in the Liberty Seated dollar series that’s in demand because of its relatively low
mintage. We feel that it’s been an underrated issue for many years. With a mintage ranking of
14th out of 46 the date is scarce, but not rare. It can be found with patient searching, but may
be more difficult to locate than its pricing would indicate. Mint state examples are rare, but
even lower grades are scarce. Problem-free low-grade examples, F12 or lower, are very rare.
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1848 Die Marriages
Only 2 die marriages have been identified. A single pair of dies was used to strike all business strikes. Neither die was used for proofs. A single proof variety paired a unique obverse die with the reverse die used for almost all original proofs minted through 1854. The following table summarizes the known die marriages for 1848:
Click the links below to view the details of the die marriages.
Die Marriage |
Rarity |
Obverse Die |
Reverse Die |
Estimated Survivors |
| OC-1 | R2 | 1 | A | 750 |
| OC-P1 | R6+ | P1 | 1840 PA | 18 |
OC-1 is the only known business strike die marriage. By Liberty Seated Dollar standards it’s scarce, but not rare.
We consider this one of the under-rated dates in the series. Most price guides put it just above common dates,
but finding nice examples can be as challenging as the low mintage would indicate.
OC-P1 is the only known proof die marriage. Of the 18 or so estimated survivors 3 or 4 are mishandled or lightly
circulated. The remainder vary from PR62 to PR67. The finest known is a PR67 example slabbed by NGC and pedigreed
to the Phil Kaufman collection.
1848 Business Strike Emission Sequence
With only one business strike die marriage the emission sequence is simple.
Emission Order |
Die Marriage |
Comments |
| 1 | OC-1 |
1848 Proof Emission Sequence
The proof emission sequence is equally simple.
Emission Order |
Die Marriage |
Comments |
| 1 | OC-P1 |
1848 Quick Finder Chart
With only two die marriages for the year attribution is very easy based on date position alone.
Die Marriage |
Obv. Die |
Rev. Die |
Right Base |
Keys to Identification |
| OC-1 | 1 | A | JR of C | Obverse: Right base of 1 is JR of C.
Reverse: Die lines in upper corner of shield recess #1. |
| OC-P1 | P1 | 1840 PA | JR of LE | Obverse: Right base of 1 is JR of LE.
Reverse: Defects inside upper triangle of A3. |
| Photo credits:
Obverse and reverse full photos: NGC PR67, ex. Phil Kaufman, from the Heritage archives. |