Most issues of the series produced in the 1860’s had extremely small mintages due to the Civil War and the sparse circulation of silver coins. The absolute mintage low occurred with the 1867 Liberty Seated Half Dime (Buy on eBay). The issue had just 8,000 pieces struck for circulation, with an additional 625 proofs struck for collectors.
Despite the minuscule mintage, many examples have survived due to early hoarding. This includes a large number of high-grade pieces in grades gem and finer. The issue does carry a premium at all grade levels, but it is not as high as might be expected particularly for mint state examples. Examples graded MS65 can be obtained for around $2,000.
Other rare dates from this era include the Philadelphia Civil War dates, with low mintages and the impact of later melting. San Francisco issues are also rare, due to both low mintages and heavy circulation. Silver coins remained in circulation in the western states during the early 1860s.
Coin Specifications
- Designer: Christian Gobrecht
- Composition: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
- Weight: 1.24 grams
- Diameter: 15.5 mm
- Edge: Reeded
