1859-O Dollar

I’m having a memory lapse so don’t yell at me if I did. I thinking I didn’t post this coin so here it is.
An 1859-O Liberty Seated Dollar. Only 360,000 were minted but that is one of the highest mintages, if not thee highest, of the series.

 

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It looks cleaned to Meow.

 

Nice coin, but also looks cleaned the reverse breast plate has 3D look.

 

Not cleaned, just looks that way. I bought this from a dealer but I dealt with for years and he is the most honest person you could ever meet in your life. If the coin was clean and he sold it he told you. It even write it on the 2 x 2 flip.

 

Here is my 1860-O graded PCGS VF35:







Not sure if your coin is cleaned based on pictures alone. However, this light gunmetal tone is quite common on circulated Seated dollars, as evident on your coin and my coin. Is that graffiti above the eagle’s head on your example?

 

The image of the 59-O make it look cleaned. It also looks like graffiti on the reverse.
Most coins of this age were cleaned at some point in their life. It boils down to if the services call it a harsh cleaning. I don't know from the images. Either way, it's still a nice coin.

 

Interestingly enough, the 1859-O is one of the more common dates in Mint State. In the early 1960s, a bag or more of them was uncovered when the treasury was paying off people who were making a run on the Treasury's hoard of silver dollars. Back then you could trade paper dollars for silver dollars. Most every neighborhood bank had them available, and people were going to Washington and getting more. I remember seeing them lined up on the news.

Most of those dollars, which are 1859-O and 1860-O, are low end Mint State pieces, and many of them have been cleaned or dipped.

 

No it’s not graffiti. It could be what’s left of a clash but it’s worn down. It could be minor circulation damage.

 

59-60-O seated dollars common even in ms. But they’re usually ugly. Bag beat too death and often have cleaned surfaces. Actually I think 3/4 of the straight graded seated dollars I see in slabs shouldn’t be. They get a pass for surface problems more than any other series I think

 

I only have one mintmarked seated dollar. A 46-o

 

That’s better than having none.

 

The leniency of TPG towards Seated dollars reminds me of Draped Bust silver coinage. I’ve seen quite a few Draped Busts that shouldn’t straight grade. An example being my 1805 quarter graded PCGS AG03:

 

Yes it’s worn but I see no reason not to straight grade her.

 

Many years ago, PCGS sent both of these back in bags as cleaned.

 

Yes. I too am surprised that PCGS gave that one a straight grade. Maybe the grader felt as I do that an AG-3 deserves some slack, especially an early silver piece. I would not test your luck, however. The grade could be different next time.

 

If s ok they’ve recovered. I’d try them again. They’re much nicer than much I see straight graded

 

I'm envious of anyone having a Seated Liberty or Bust Dollar.

 

I have both. How about a flowing hair?

 

Yep on that too