As its low mintage suggests the 1859-S silver dollar is a very scarce issue that is found in a broad range of grades. Most are in the higher circulated grades, while Mint State pieces are rare and almost always below the choice level. The typical 1859-S dollar is less than fully struck, with weakness at the upper edge of the eagle's right wing being almost universal for the issue. Two die marriages are known, each having unique obverse and reverse dies. Both obverses feature repunching of numerals 18 that faded as the dies wore and were repolished to extend their useful lives. The San Francisco Mint coined Seated Liberty Silver Dollars only rarely, and this is surprising given the fact that westerners favored hard money over paper currency. The collectable dates include only 1859 and 1872, both of which are scarce. The 1870-S silver dollars were struck solely for commemorative purposes, while the 700 pieces reported for 1873, if they were in fact struck, were never released and went to the melting pot.