1873-S Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 455,000 made
- Mintage
- 455,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.5 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 1873-S Seated Liberty Dime worth?
Collectors pay a real premium for this date, worn or not, because far fewer were made than usual. Uncirculated pieces go much higher.
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 1873-S Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- Yes. Only 455,000 were made, 51st lowest of the 116 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1873-S Seated Liberty Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1873 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 1873 are scarcer?
- The 1870-S at 50,000, the 1872-S at 190,000, the 1874-S at 240,000, plus 3 more. So the 1873-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1873-S Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 455,000.
What to check on your 1873-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 1873-CC (12,400 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 1873 Seated Liberty Dime Proof (1,100 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 1873-S
Output at San Francisco climbed to 455,000 in 1873, from 190,000 the year before. The next year it made 240,000 (1874-S).
The other mints made far more that year: 1873 alone came to 2.4 million, roughly 5.2 for every 1873-S. If you're checking a pile of 1873 coins, the S is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1848 (451,500) and the 1869-S (450,000).
San Francisco struck the Seated Liberty Dime in 29 issues between 1856 and 1891. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1885-S (43,690). Within the 1870s it's 13th smallest of 29, between the 1871-S (320,000) and the 1870 (470,500).
It also marks a change of metal: 1873 is the first year of the Seated Liberty Dime in 90% silver, 10% copper, which lasted until 1891.
Arrows again and the lost 1873-CC (1873 to 1874)
The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 raised the dime slightly from 2.49 to 2.50 grams to fit a metric standard. Arrows went back beside the date on the new coins of 1873 and 1874. The same act ended the half dime, the three-cent silver piece, the two-cent piece and the standard silver dollar. Before the change, Philadelphia struck 1,508,000 dimes without arrows with a Close 3 in the date. Mint officials complained that the 3 looked too much like an 8, so new date punches with an Open 3 were made and 60,000 more were struck before the arrows arrived.
Carson City struck 12,400 dimes without arrows early in 1873. After the new law took effect nearly all were melted and only one is known today. The arrows coins that followed include 2,377,700 from Philadelphia, 455,000 from San Francisco and 18,791 from Carson City. In 1874 Philadelphia struck 2,939,300, San Francisco 240,000 and Carson City only 10,817. The 1873-CC and 1874-CC arrows dimes are among the hardest CC dimes to find.
To sort an 1873 dime, check for arrows first. Without arrows, look at the 3. On a Close 3 the knobs nearly touch, while on an Open 3 they stand well apart. Arrows dimes of both years are popular type coins, since they are a separate two-year design. The Philadelphia coins are the easy ones in circulated grades.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1873
The Coinage Act of 1873 ended the two-cent piece, the three-cent silver, the half dime and the standard silver dollar. It also created the trade dollar for commerce in Asia. Arrows were added beside the date of dimes, quarters and halves to mark a small weight change. Critics later called the act the "Crime of '73" for dropping the silver dollar.
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 | 1873 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 455,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0723 troy oz (2.250 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1873 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1873 Seated Liberty Dime | 1,508,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873 Seated Liberty Dime (No Arrows, Open 3) | 60,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873 Seated Liberty Dime (With Arrows) | 2,377,700 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873 Seated Liberty Dime Proof | 1,100 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873 Seated Liberty Dime Proof (With Arrows) | 800 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873-S Seated Liberty Dime | 455,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873-CC Seated Liberty Dime | 12,400 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1873-CC Seated Liberty Dime (With Arrows) | 18,791 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.