1870-S Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 50,000 made
- Mintage
- 50,000
- 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 1870-S Seated Liberty Dime worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1870-S 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:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- 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 1870-S Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- Yes. Only 50,000 were made, 17th lowest of the 116 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1870-S Seated Liberty Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0720 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1870 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. On this coin the mark is S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1870 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no San Francisco issue had a smaller mintage than the 1870-S.
- How many 1870-S Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 50,000.
What to check on your 1870-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1870 (470,500 made).
- Check the date and mint mark under magnification for tooling or added letters. Scarce dates are the ones forgers alter.
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1870 Seated Liberty Dime Proof (1,000 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- 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.
Never clean it. Collectors pay strong premiums for original surfaces and natural toning on a date like this. A cleaned coin can lose half its value or more. Low-mintage dates attract altered and counterfeit coins. Check that the mint mark and date have not been tooled or added, or buy one already certified by PCGS or NGC.
The story of the 1870-S
Production at San Francisco fell off a cliff in 1870. Only 50,000 were made, against 450,000 the year before. That drop is why the 1870-S is the one people look for. In 1871 the figure was 320,000.
The other mint made far more that year: 1870 alone came to 470,500, roughly 9.4 for every 1870-S. If you're checking a pile of 1870 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1885-S (43,690) and the 1858-S (60,000).
Only the 1885-S has a lower mintage among San Francisco's 29 Seated Liberty Dimes. Within the 1870s it's 7th smallest of 29, between the 1872-CC (35,480) and the 1873 (No Arrows, Open 3) (60,000).
Slow recovery and Carson City joins (1868 to 1872)
Silver still did not return to circulation in the East after the war, so Philadelphia mintages stayed modest. It struck 464,000 in 1868, 256,000 in 1869 and 470,500 in 1870. San Francisco made 260,000, 450,000 and then only 50,000 in 1870, a key date of the series. Production rose again in 1871 and 1872, with Philadelphia reaching 2,395,500 in 1872.
The Carson City Mint in Nevada, built near the silver of the Comstock Lode, struck its first dimes in 1871. Only 20,100 were made that year and 35,480 in 1872. Both are major rarities. CC dimes circulated in mining towns where few people saved coins, so most survivors are well worn and many have scratches, corrosion or old cleaning. A problem-free example of either date is very rare.
Specialists also list an 1872 doubled die reverse. For most finds, though, the mint mark is the thing to check. Look near the bow of the wreath for S or CC and use a magnifier to make sure the letters match genuine punches and were not added to a Philadelphia coin. Philadelphia struck 1,000 proofs in 1870, 960 in 1871 and 950 in 1872. Those proofs let collectors own these dates in high grade. The CC mint mark, like the others, was punched into the dies at Philadelphia before they were shipped west.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1870
The Carson City Mint in Nevada began striking coins in 1870, using silver from the Comstock Lode. Its "CC" mint mark is now among the most sought after.
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 | 1870 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 50,000 |
| 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 1870 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Seated Liberty Dime | 470,500 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
| 1870 Seated Liberty Dime Proof | 1,000 | Proof | 0.0720 oz |
| 1870-S Seated Liberty Dime | 50,000 | 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.