Coin of The Week 1871-CC Liberty Seated Half Dollar
Mintage: 153,950 ( 139,950 listed in The Mint on Carson Street by Rusty Goe )
The 1871-CC Half dollar is a scarce issue, however there are four other coins from the Carson City Mint in this short set with lower mintages. Most Carson City half dollars were placed into circulation during the 19th century so most of the surviving mintage is in average circulated grades. The 1871-CC is not only a better date in the Carson City short set of half dollars but it is also a key in the entire Seated Half Dollar series.
Estimated price range in VG-8 is $750 - $850 and though not exactly cheap it is still not prohibitive for a Carson City type set. Some patience will be required when searching for a problem free coin.
In its second year of operation, the Branch Mint in Carson City churned out a mintage of 153,950 half dollars which more than doubled the output from its inaugural out in 1870 of 54,617. In fact the 1871 total mintage increased to a total of 214,958 form a total mintage of 92,791 in 1870.
According to “ A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties Volume II Carson City Branch Mint” by Bill Bugert there are seven known die marriages. With a mintage of 153,950 coins this is an average of 22,000 per each die marriage and that it is possible that no more than 100 coins currently exist in all conditions for each die marriage.
All reverse dies used for the 1871-CC half dollar have the large CC’s in the mintmark. One of the dies was first used in the inaugural year 1870 and all reverse dies were used in later years.
A curious thing about the year 1871 at the Carson City Mint was that the coiner’s use of polished planchets and or dies for a small number of silver coins including the dime, quarter and half dollar. In a letter sent by Abraham Curry in August of 1870 to Mint Director Pollack he acknowledged receipt of “Proof Silver” (as well as gold). What does “Proof Silver” mean? This is a question that was posed by Rusty Goe in his book “The Mint on Carson Street”. Curry received his request of proof silver in exchange for a 5 ¾ ounce gold bar that he sent to the Philadelphia Mint. This was not a normal request by far and was not repeated again by a Superintendent from the Carson City Mint.
Of course, Curry was long gone by the time coins of 1871 were struck and any of the proof or specimens striking are thought to have been minted for the grand opening keepsakes. However if this order from Abe Curry was fulfilled as requested, the Carson City Mint would have received approximately 28 ounces of proof silver. Now if this was indeed in the form of proof silver planchets, there would be enough to produce $36 to $39 in face value in silver. To put it this way approximately 390 dimes, 156 quarters, 78 half dollars and 36 silver dollars or any other combination of the four denominations could have been struck. Oh the possibilities!!!
Finest Knowns
PCGS MS-64 (1)
PCGS MS-62 (1)
NGC MS-62 (1)
NGC MS-61 (1)
PCGS MS-60 (1)
Survival estimates in all grades 200-300
Estimates in uncirculated 5-7
Estimates in XF-AU 30-40
Total certified examples in all grades
(PCGS and NGC) 68
As of July 2003 “The Mint on Carson Street” by Rusty Goe
Other events of 1871
In October 1871 the original draft of the Emancipation Proclamation was lost when the Chicago Historical Society building was destroyed in the fire that nearly burned the city to the ground. 17,000 buildings were destroyed and damages were estimated at $200 million.
Also in 1871 the Supreme Court overturned a ruling from 1870 declaring the Legal Tender Act to be unconstitutional. At the time many citizens of the United States believed that Congress did not have the right to the issuance of paper money and that it would unlawful to accept for the payment of goods. Gold and Silver were the preferred payment for goods and services in the western states and there was more of it coming from the ground around Carson City at that time than any other place and time in history.
The Half Dollar denomination has always appealed to me and this forum has given me the opportunity to expand my knowledge of these coins and of this Mint on Carson Street and be able to share that knowledge with fellow C4OA members.
Loosechange
Go "CC'S"
