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As was the case with the
Half Dime, the Seated Liberty theme
was introduced on the United States dime in 1837. The Seated Liberty Dime
was minted every year up to and including 1891.
The obverse shows Liberty seated on a rock
supporting the
Union Shield with her name on it. The figure is reminiscent of
Britannia as seen
on British coinage, just as Mint Director Robert M. Patterson envisioned. The
center of the reverse shows the
words "ONE DIME" encircled by a wreath and the legend "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA".
The
Capped Bust
design that preceded the Seated Liberty did not use the word "DIME", rather the
inscription "10C.", to designate its face value. By 1837, the
word was so thoroughly entrenched in American lexicon that everyone understood
how much a dime was worth. It may seem insignificant to us today, but this was a
recognition of those living at that time of the continued maturation of the
United States and its culture.
Similar to its Half Dime counterpart, a number of varieties exists for the Seated
Liberty Dime, due to design changes in drapery, stars, arrows, and legend.
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Seated Liberty
Dime Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
17.9 mm |
2.67 g |
1837-1853 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
17.9 mm |
2.49 g |
1853-1873 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
17.9 mm |
2.50 g |
1873-1891 |
.100 Cu .900
Ag |
Christian Gobrecht |
Reeded |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
There are a few challenging
dates in the Seated Liberty Dime series. The rarest of all is the
1873-CC with no arrows. The only known
example of this famous date resided in the U.S. government coin collection
until 1914, when it entered the private sector, and was sold the following
year for $170. In 1950, collector extraordinaire Louis Eliasburg
purchased the coin for $4000, making it the final entry necessary to complete his entire
collection of United States coins, the only such set ever assembled. The
1873-CC no arrows Seated Liberty Dime was last sold in 2005 for $891,250.
Since the 1873-CC no arrows is virtually unobtainable, collectors of normal
means seeking scarce key dates in the Seated Liberty Dime series will have to
continue on down the list. However, there are really not many choices
available with enviable appreciation results. Based on past
performances, the dimes that appear to have the best chance to surge in value
are:
The links below will take you to eBay coin
auctions for the Seated Liberty Dime key dates of 1871-CC and 1874-CC.
Because of their scarcity, you may not find an example for sale every time
you check. The
1872-CC and
1873-CC are close cousins of the above and
possess similar potential. The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for the date headlined, in G-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured for
sale in the right hand side (if any) is not necessarily an example in G-4
condition.
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1871-CC
Seat Liberty Dime
Condition: G-4
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1874-CC
Seat Liberty Dime
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $40.00
1980: $250
1995: $800
2003: $1000
2007: $2000
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Value Trends
1950: $30.00
1980: $450
1995: $1500
2003: $2000
2007: $2500
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.10%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
8.07%
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Half Cents
1793-1857 |
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Large Cents
1793-1857 |
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Flying Eagle Cents
1856-1858 |
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Indian Head Cents
1859-1909 |
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Lincoln Cents
1909-present |
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Two and Three
Cents 1851-1889 |
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Shield Nickels
1866-1883 |
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Liberty Nickels
1883-1913 |
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Buffalo Nickels
1913-1938 |
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Jefferson Nickels 1938-present |
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Early Half Dimes
1792-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 |
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Early Dimes
1796-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 |
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Barber Dimes
1892-1916 |
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Mercury Dimes
1916-1945 |
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946-present |
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Twenty Cents
1875-1878 |
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Early Quarters
1796-1838 |
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Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 |
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Barber Quarters
1892-1916 |
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Standing Liberty
Quarters 1916-1930 |
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Washington
Quarters 1932-present |
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Early Half Dollars
1794-1839 |
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Seated Liberty
Half Dollars 1839-1891 |
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Barber Half
Dollars 1892-1915 |
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollars 1916-1947 |
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Franklin Half
Dollars 1948-1963 |
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Kennedy Half Dollars 1964-Present |
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Early Dollars
1794-1804 |
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Gobrecht Dollars 1836-1839 |
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Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 |
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Trade Dollars
1873-1885 |
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Morgan Dollars
1878-1921 |
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Peace Dollars
1921-1935 |
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Eisenhower Dollars
1971-1978 |
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Anthony Dollars
1979-1981,1999 |
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Sacagawea Dollars
2000-present |
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Presidential Dollars
2007-present |
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Gold Dollars
1849-1889 |
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Early Quarter Eagles 1796-1834 |
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Classic Head Quarter Eagles 1834-1839 |
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Coronet Quarter
Eagles 1840-1907 |
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Indian Head
Quarter Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Three Dollar Gold
1854-1889 |
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Early Half Eagles
1795-1834 |
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Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 |
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Coronet Half
Eagles 1839-1908 |
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Indian Head Half
Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Early Eagles
1795-1804 |
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Coronet Eagles
1838-1907 |
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Indian Head Eagles
1907-1933 |
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Coronet Double
Eagles 1849-1907 |
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St-Gaudens Double
Eagles 1907-1933 |
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In the 1830's, President Andrew Jackson strove
to put an end to the 2nd Bank of the U.S., pressuring credit markets to
collapse and inadvertently brought on hard financial times. Matters
worsened in 1836, when Jackson issued the "Specie Circular", which required
payment in gold and silver coinage in exchange for federal land,
triggering the Panic of 1837. During those economically depressed
years, coins largely disappeared from circulation. A large number of
privately issued pieces, called "Hard Times" tokens, appeared in response.
Above is one of these tokens, called the Feuchtwanger cent, named after the
inventor of the "German silver" alloy used in the token, Lewis Feuchtwanger.
His alloy actually contained no silver, and at one time was considered for
regular US coinage, but was ultimately rejected.
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