Seated Liberty Dime (1837-1891)
Mint Mark Information

Christian Gobrecht’s seated Liberty theme was first used on the dime in 1837. The idea of putting Lady Liberty on a rock was the vision of Mint Director Robert M. Patterson, who got the idea from British copper coins, which featured Britannia similarly seated.

The first year of production was without stars on the obverse. In 1838, stars encircling Liberty were added, to conform to larger Seated Liberty coinage.

Arrows were added on both sides of the date on most 1853 Seated Liberty Dimes, to indicate a weight reduction, from 2.67 to 2.49 grams. The silver content was lessened because the market price of silver reached high levels and encouraged hoarding and melting. The arrows were removed after 1855 because the public was accustomed to the lighter dime.

A small number of dimes dated 1859 do not bear the nation’s identity. This unusual circumstance occurred when the Mint decided to move the wording UNITED STATES OF AMERICA from the reverse to the front, replacing the stars. There were some “transitional” pattern pieces struck that matched an old 1859 obverse die (i.e. with stars, but no national ID) with the new 1860 reverse (which just removed the national ID), resulting in a coin “without a country”. Today, these are some of the most valuable coins in the Seated Liberty Dime series, selling for $20,000 or more.

The arrows at date were returned in 1873 and 1874, this time to indicate an increase in weight, going from 2.49 to 2.50 grams. The quarter and half dollar were also increased to a nice round number on the metric scale. Government officials hoped this move would encourage European acceptance of US coinage, but this did not happen.

The last year of the Seated Liberty Dime was 1891. The Seated Liberty theme had been around since 1837, longer than most Americans living at that time, but an overdue change was soon to happen.

Seated Liberty Dime Obverse

Seated Liberty Dime Reverse

Seated Liberty Dime Mint Mark is located on reverse above bow, 1838-60 and 1875.

Seated Liberty Dime Mint Mark is located on reverse below bow, 1860-91.

Seated Liberty Dimes were coined at four facilities, so you need to understand Mint Mark locations and places they represent in order to advance in Seated Liberty Dimes:

When you flip a Seated Liberty Dime on its reverse, if there is a Mint Mark, it might be a "CC", "O" or an "S". The Mint Mark is found above or below the bow, depending upon what year the coin was struck. Dimes produced in the years 1860 and 1875 have Mint Marks either above OR below the bow.

The Seated Liberty Dime photos at right were borrowed with permission from Heritage Auction Galleries.

The Seated Liberty Dime was around for a very long time. Most are fairly common, but there are quite a few scarce and semi-scarce dates. The best of the bunch are the Carson City Mint issues of 1871 through 1874. Steep price rises over many decades is proof of their genuine staying power with the collector class.

If you really like Seated Liberty Dimes and want to acquire examples that will someday pleasantly stun your heirs, then carefully consider the 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC, or 1874-CC. The box below is a window to eBay, which isolates these dates (if any are available, that is). Only examples certified by PCGS, NGC, ICG, or ANACS are included in the search results.

1871-74 "CC" Dimes