Liberty Seated Dime

Liberty Seated Dimes (1837–1891)

The Liberty Seated Dime was designed by Christian Gobrecht, who served as an engraver at the United States Mint. Introduced in 1837 to replace the Capped Bust Dime, the series remained in production through 1891, making it one of the longest-running designs in nineteenth-century American silver coinage.

Gobrecht's design features an allegorical representation of Liberty seated on a rock, facing left, holding a shield in one hand and a staff topped with a Liberty cap in the other. The date appears beneath Liberty. The original reverse features the denomination ONE DIME enclosed within a wreath, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Throughout its history, the Liberty Seated Dime underwent several design modifications, creating distinct varieties that remain popular among collectors.

Liberty Seated Dime Varieties

1. No Stars (1837–1838)

The original Liberty Seated Dime featured a simple obverse without stars surrounding Liberty. These early coins were struck in Philadelphia in 1837 and New Orleans in 1838.

2. Stars, No Drapery (1838–1840)

In 1838, thirteen stars were added around Liberty, representing the original states. These early Stars issues lacked the additional drapery beneath Liberty's elbow that appeared in later designs.

3. Stars, With Drapery (1840–1853)

Beginning in 1840, the design was modified to include additional drapery beneath Liberty's elbow. This version continued until 1853, when changes to the weight of U.S. silver coinage required another modification.

4. Arrows at Date (1853–1855)

In 1853, rising silver values prompted Congress to reduce the weight of subsidiary silver coins, including the dime. Small arrows were added beside the date to identify the new weight standard.

The arrows remained through 1855 and were removed beginning in 1856, although the reduced weight was retained.

5. Stars, With Drapery (1856–1860)

Following the removal of the arrows, the familiar Liberty Seated design with thirteen stars continued through 1860.

6. Legend Obverse (1860–1873)

In 1860, the thirteen stars were replaced with the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around Liberty. The reverse was redesigned with a new wreath surrounding ONE DIME.

This design remained in use until another adjustment to the coin's weight in 1873.

7. Arrows at Date (1873–1874)

In 1873, the dime's weight increased slightly to conform to the metric standard of 2.5 grams. Arrows were again placed beside the date to distinguish the new weight.

The arrows appeared on some 1873 issues and continued through 1874.

8. Legend Obverse, No Arrows (1875–1891)

Beginning in 1875, the arrows were removed, but the 2.5-gram weight standard remained unchanged. This final design continued until the Liberty Seated Dime was replaced by the Barber Dime in 1892.

Collecting Certified Liberty Seated Dimes

Liberty Seated Dimes were produced at four United States Mint facilities: Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Carson City.

The series offers numerous collecting opportunities, including complete date-and-mintmark sets, individual design varieties, scarce Carson City issues, and well-preserved examples from the nineteenth century.

Certified Liberty Seated Dimes graded by PCGS, NGC, and CACG, along with CAC-approved examples, provide collectors with professionally authenticated coins from this historic American silver series.