Seated dollar mintage reached its high point in 1872, with over 1.1 million coins issued. This is one of only two issues in the series with a mintage over 1 million coins, the other being 1871. 1872 coins are as readily available as the mintage would indicate. Price guides price 1872 as a common date. This is consistent with our observations of ready availability in all grades. Even low grades, which are scarce or rare for virtually all dates, are available with patient searching. Population reports show that 1872 slabs total only about 65% of those for 1871, but availability seems to be about equal.

1872 examples, as with most common dates from the Seated dollar series, are readily available in all grades up to MS64, and MS64 examples are far more available than most other dates. Well-circulated coins are common relative to other dates in the series. The somewhat large population reports in low to middle mint state grades seen to be accurate. Mint state examples are frequently seen at coin shows and in auctions.

The population reports of both major grading services show a little less than 15% of the graded business strikes in mint state. The finest known example is a single MS66+ graded by PCGS. NGC has graded a single coin at the MS66 level. Seven additional coins have received a MS65 grade, four at PCGS and 3 at NGC. One of the NGC coins was evaluated as MS65+. 63 have been graded MS64. As many as 20 of these coins almost surely represent re-submissions. Population statistics are as of February, 2023.