By: Mobin
Only 12,000 1866 No Motto Seated dollars were struck, far below the hundreds of thousands of pieces seen in later years.
The paltry mintage cemented the 1866 as a famous rarity and key date within the series of Liberty Seated dollars struck from 1840 to 1873.
The 1866 dollars feature the original Seated Liberty design by Christian Gobrecht, before the addition of the motto "In God We Trust" in 1866.
1866 marked a transitional year, as the motto was added mid-year, creating two distinct Seated Liberty varieties for collectors.
About 100 or fewer examples of the rare date 1866 No Motto dollar are estimated to still exist.
Well-struck, problem-free examples in collector grades often trade for over $100,000 at auction.
The 1866 No Motto dollars entered circulation, but were struck using proof coin dies originally intended for collectors.