Shipwreck & Unique Seated Liberty Half Dollars
Private
Updated:
5/6/2026
Views: 182
It is said that, “Every Coin Has a Story To Tell.” A few years ago instead of building a collection of straight graded Seated Liberty Half Dollars, I decided to assemble a collection of unique coins that have different and individual stories to tell. My objective is to obtain at least one specimen from every year of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar series from 1839 to 1891, along with at least one representative specimen from each of the U. S. Mints of the time of production which includes; Philadelphia, Carson City, New Orleans and San Francisco.
What are unique specimens? I have selected five primary Themes or Types that represent the quilt of the American life in the 19th Century. These five themes are: Chop Marks, Counter Stamped, Inscribed, Shipwreck and Jewelry. At the time of this writing I have over 90 unique specimens covering some 45 slots of the 125 Seated Liberty Half Dollar series.
The Shipwreck and Chop Marked coins shared here are from the building of this unique collection. I do not expect to obtain a high score with this Registry Set as that is not my objective. Rather I just wish to share these special and unique coins for others to enjoy!
About Shipwreck Coins:
I find Shipwreck coins to be fascinating! During the 19th Century shipping was critical to the growth and economy of the United States. The loss of shipping was expected, but when it did occur it often had a profound impact on communities and the nation. There are a few notable shipwrecks in our U.S. history that carried large numbers of Seated Liberty coins. They were the SS New York in 1846, the SS Central America (Ship of Gold) in 1857 and the SS Republic in 1865. Each of these ship wrecks have their own story to tell and of the impact on our history that makes each coin a unique historical artifact and connects us to these special, but tragic events!
Regarding Shipwreck Effect (SWE) personal grading scale, extending NGC’s grading approach:
For all NGC SHIPWRECK EFFECT classified coins, I have developed my own subjective scale from 1 to 10. Where a one (1) would be the best condition and a ten (10) would be the worst condition.
About Chop Mark Coins:
Chop Marks are generally Chinese characters or symbols, but not exclusively, that are stamped or embossed onto coins by merchants in order to validate the weight, authenticity and silver content of the coin. Non-Chinese Chop Marks on Seated Liberty coins are uncommon, but not rare, unlike those with true Chinese characters which are quite rare. On the other hand, there is an abundant number of Trade Dollars that can be found with Chop Marks.
From the late 18th through the 19th century China needed silver to maintain and grow its economy. With no central monetary or banking system in place, China depended on silver coinage, to function. China’s preference was the Spanish Silver Dollar or “8 Reales,” but other silver coinage was accepted as well.
Prior to the introduction of the U.S. Trade Dollar, often U.S. silver coinage was exchanged for Spanish Silver Dollars before going to China. The majority of all coinage that entered China was melted due to the influence of the British. See the May-2023 article in the ANA Numismatist for greater details. Since a high percentage of silver coins were melted, especially Seated Liberty coins, any surviving specimen is very unique.
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Shipwreck & Unique Seated Liberty Half Dollars
By OA Nentico
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