1859 50C Liberty Seated Half Dollar NGC SE Ex.SS Republic

Only 101 half dollars dated 1859 from the Philadelphia mint were recovered from the SS Republic, this example being among the finest. For comparison, there were 9,085 1858-O half dollars recovered.

Collectors may not know that the 1859 is a scarce issue in the Liberty Seated half dollar series. Compelling circumstantial evidence points to its rarity. The combined population of original examples graded by PCGS and NGC of the 1859 half dollar is 628 out of its mintage of 747,200. That figure represents a mere 0.084 percent of its original mintage, which suggests extensive export of this issue.

Paul M. Green writes in Numismatic News (June 13, 2011), “The clear suggestion is that long before the Trade dollar, Seated Liberty half dollars were being sent to China and that sort of export use may help to explain why half dollar mintages during the period remained higher than other silver denominations.”

The Second Philadelphia Mint, where this collectible was struck in 1859. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.