Seated Liberty Half Dime Values & Mintages

Grading tips

LIBERTY on the shield wears first; a full LIBERTY marks Fine or better. These tiny coins are often bent, cleaned or holed.

The longest-running half dime

The Seated Liberty half dime was struck from 1837 to 1873, the whole of the denomination's later life. It used Christian Gobrecht's seated figure, the same design that appeared on the dime, quarter, half dollar and dollar. The design went through the same stages as the dime: No Stars, Stars, Drapery, Arrows and Legend.

The coin ended with the Coinage Act of 1873. By then the copper-nickel five-cent piece, first struck in 1866, was doing its job more cheaply.

Three mints and the keys

Half dimes were struck at Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco. Carson City never made them. New Orleans struck them from 1838 to 1860 and San Francisco from 1863 to 1873.

The keys include the 1838-O No Stars, the 1846, the 1853-O without arrows and the Philadelphia issues of 1863 to 1867. The 1870-S is unique, a single coin discovered in 1978. On the other hand the arrows coins of 1853 to 1855 and the big Philadelphia years of 1856 to 1858 are common, which makes a type set easy to start.

Checking a Seated half dime

Use the shield to judge wear. A full LIBERTY on the scroll means Fine or better. Above that, look at Liberty's head and knee and at the top of the wreath on the reverse.

Because half dimes are so small, they were often made into jewelry, love tokens or buttons. Check for holes, solder, engraving and bends. For scarce dates, look at the date and mint mark under a magnifier for alteration. A genuine coin weighs 1.34 grams before 1853 and 1.24 grams afterward, so a careful weighing can expose a fake.

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