1860 Seated Liberty Dime Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 1,000 made
- Mintage
- 1,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.49 g
- Diameter
- 17.9 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1860 Seated Liberty Dime Proof worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1860 is valuable in any condition, even well worn. That's exactly why fakes and altered coins turn up so often.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1860 Seated Liberty Dime Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 1,000 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1860 Seated Liberty Dime Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0720 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1860 Seated Liberty Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath or inside the wreath, depending on the year. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark.
- How many 1860 Seated Liberty Dime proofs were made?
- 1,000.
What to check on your 1860
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the shield is the key: a full, readable LIBERTY marks a coin in Fine or better. Then check Liberty's head and knee.
Proofs from 1860 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1860
The legend moves to the obverse (1860 to 1862)
In 1860 Chief Engraver James B. Longacre removed the stars from the obverse and put UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in their place. On the reverse a larger cereal wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves now surrounds ONE DIME. San Francisco did not receive the new dies in time. Its 140,000 dimes of 1860 still have the stars obverse and the old laurel wreath reverse, which makes the 1860-S the last of the stars type.
New Orleans struck only 40,000 dimes in 1860, a key date of the series. Louisiana left the Union early in 1861 and the mint was seized, so no New Orleans dimes were made again until 1891. Philadelphia struck 606,000 in 1860 and 1,883,000 in 1861, then just 847,000 in 1862. San Francisco made 172,500 and 180,750 in those two years.
The Civil War explains the drop. At the end of 1861 banks stopped paying out gold and silver for paper money. Within months silver coins vanished from circulation in the East and postage stamps and small paper notes took their place. Proofs continued at 1,000 a year in 1860 and 1861 and 550 in 1862. When you identify a dime from these years, the legend is the quickest clue: legend on the obverse means 1860 or later. The legend design stayed in use with only minor changes until 1891.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1860
The Indian Head cent received its oak wreath and shield reverse, the design it kept until 1909.
How to recognize it
Liberty sits on a rock, her right hand resting on a shield crossed by a scroll reading LIBERTY. Her left hand holds a pole topped by a liberty cap and the date is below. The 1837 and 1838-O coins have nothing else on the obverse. From 1838 to 1860 thirteen stars surround her and from 1860 the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA take their place. Drapery hangs from her left elbow on coins from late 1840 on. Arrows flank the date on most dimes of 1853 to 1855 and of 1873 to 1874. The reverse shows ONE DIME inside a laurel wreath ringed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA until 1860. After that a larger cereal wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves surrounds the words. Branch mint marks are on the reverse near the bow.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Dime (1837–1891) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 1,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.49 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0720 troy oz (2.241 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1860 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 Seated Liberty Dime | 606,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
| 1860 Seated Liberty Dime Proof | 1,000 | Proof | 0.0720 oz |
| 1860-S Seated Liberty Dime | 140,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
| 1860-O Seated Liberty Dime | 40,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.