1872 Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 2,395,500 made
- Mintage
- 2,395,500
- 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 1872 Seated Liberty Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0720 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1872 Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- Not by date: 2.4 million were struck. A sharp uncirculated coin or a known variety is what makes one special.
- Is the 1872 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 1872 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.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1872 are scarcer?
- The 1867 at 6,000, the 1873 (No Arrows, Open 3) at 60,000, the 1869 at 256,000, plus 5 more. So the 1872 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1872 Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 2,395,500.
What to check on your 1872
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1872 Seated Liberty Dime Proof (950 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.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1872
Philadelphia made 2,395,500 in 1872, up from 906,750 in 1871. In 1873 the figure was 60,000.
It was the big producer of the year, well ahead of 1872-CC (35,480) and 1872-S (190,000).
Across Philadelphia's 59 Seated Liberty Dime issues, the hardest to find is the 1867 with 6,000 made. The 1872 is one of the easier ones. Within the 1870s it's 20th smallest of 29, between the 1873 (With Arrows) (2.4 million) and the 1874 (2.9 million).
1872 is the last year the Seated Liberty Dime was made in 90% silver, 10% copper. Check the edge or weigh it if you find one from the year after.
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.
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 | 1872 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,395,500 |
| 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 1872 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 Seated Liberty Dime | 2,395,500 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
| 1872 Seated Liberty Dime Proof | 950 | Proof | 0.0720 oz |
| 1872-S Seated Liberty Dime | 190,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0720 oz |
| 1872-CC Seated Liberty Dime | 35,480 | 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.