Rare 1847 Dollar Errors (List & Pictures)
The documented example in this guide to 1847 Liberty Seated dollar errors has a curved clip and only slight wear. It sold at an April 2026 auction, but the public listing does not disclose the final amount; its $3,200 opening bid is not a sale price.
Estimated whole-coin values run from $1,000–$10,000. Follow the struck rim into the gap, then inspect the exposed boundary to distinguish an incomplete blank from later cutting.
1847 Dollar A Curved Gap with Struck Edges: Clipped Planchet Error
A coin blank can acquire a curved missing section before it reaches the press. If the cutter overlaps a hole already punched from the metal strip, the next disc is incomplete.
That incomplete disc, called a planchet once prepared for striking, can still receive the dollar design. The rim and nearby details then form around metal that was already absent.
The documented 1847 dollar is graded NGC AU58, meaning it retains nearly all its detail with only slight wear. Its auction title describes a curved clip at 5 o’clock but does not identify which face provides that orientation.
How to Identify
Take full photographs with Liberty upright and then the eagle upright. State which face you use when describing the gap’s position instead of rotating a close-up to fit the auction wording.
At each end of the curve, follow the raised rim toward the missing metal. Weak or stretched details can show how an incomplete blank responded to the strike.
Next examine the exposed edge through a magnifier. Parallel file lines, saw grooves, or a sharply cut design may indicate metal removed after the dollar was finished.
Look across the coin for weakness on the opposite rim as supporting evidence. That observation should accompany examination of the gap, not replace it.
Keep the boundary untouched and include both the complete coin and close views in any comparison. A rounded opening seen from a distance cannot establish whether the blank was originally clipped.
What It’s Worth
$1,000–$10,000 is an estimated whole-coin range for authenticated 1847 curved clips. The underlying silver dollar, its wear, surface quality, and the size of the missing section all contribute.
The GreatCollections NGC AU58 example sold in April 2026, with no publicly displayed final amount in the supplied record. The $3,200 opening bid shows where bidding began, not what the buyer ultimately paid.
A clean original clip boundary supports a genuine-error comparison. Later cutting or filing does not earn the same premium merely because it creates a similar curved silhouette.
Conclusion
The useful evidence on an 1847 clipped dollar lies where the struck rim meets the missing section. Compare both ends, the exposed boundary, and the opposite rim while keeping the whole coin’s condition in view.
The authenticated AU58 example offers a specific visual reference within the $1,000–$10,000 estimated range. Its opening bid must remain separate from the undisclosed final sale amount, and its clock position needs an identified viewing face.
