1845-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar (1839-1891)
FS-301
Key Features
FS-301: Repunched Date [Cross-ref: WB-15] Source: https://www.greysheet.com/prices/sp/liberty-seated-half-dollars/8955 A sprawling series that survived the Gold Rush and Civil War. Features Christian Gobrecht's classic Seated Liberty design.
Intriguing History
In 1845, President Polk's expansionist agenda was reshaping the map: the Mexican-American War added vast new territory in the Southwest, and the discovery of gold in California in 1848 was just beginning to pull fortune-seekers west and pour fresh bullion into the nation's mints. This Seated Liberty half dollar was doing the heavy lifting of American commerce as a large silver coin through exactly this period. This one came from the New Orleans Mint, the Mint's southern branch on the Mississippi River.