1837-1873 Liberty Seated Half Dimes
Proof Liberty Seated Half Dimes (Buy on eBay) have been struck for each year of the series, although it was not until after 1857 that the Proofs were struck in higher quantities and sold to collectors. The first year of issue for the series is the most common for the earlier Proof coins with an […]
Liberty Seated Half Dimes were produced between the years 1837 to 1873 inclusive with mintages varying widely. During the course of the series, the obverse and reverse designs underwent a series of changes, which create numerous subtypes throughout the series. The denomination also underwent a change in weight in 1853. This year and the following, […]
All Liberty Seated Half Dimes were struck in a composition of 90% silver and 10% copper with a diameter of 15.5 mm. The standard weight of the coins at the beginning of the series was 1.3 grams (20.6 grains). This standard was modified part of the way through 1853 when the weight was reduced to […]
The 1870-S Liberty Seated Half Dime represents a unique rarity in American coinage. Although no half dimes were reportedly struck at the San Francisco Mint in 1870, a single example is known to exist. The coin surfaced in a dealer’s junk box of generic coins in 1978 and was first shown to the public at […]
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 […]