1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar
Circulation strike struck at the Carson City Mint · 54,617 made
- Mintage
- 54,617
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 12.44 g
- Diameter
- 30.6 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-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar worth?
This is one of the dates collectors hunt for. A genuine 1870-CC 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-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar rare?
- Yes. Only 54,617 were made, 16th lowest of the 116 regular issues in the series.
- Is the 1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.3600 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar?
- On the reverse, below the eagle. Philadelphia halves have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is CC, for Carson City.
- Which Carson City dates near 1870 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Carson City issue had a smaller mintage than the 1870-CC.
- How many 1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar coins were made?
- 54,617.
What to check on your 1870-CC
- Make sure the mint mark really is a CC. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1870 (634,900 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.
- 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 benchmark for Fine. Check the high points of Liberty's knees and breast.
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. Coins from Carson City carry a premium over the same date from other mints because of the mint's short history and the popularity of its "CC" mark. 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-CC
This was the first time Carson City made the Seated Liberty Half Dollar for circulation: 54,617 coins. In 1871 the figure was 153,950.
The other mints made far more that year: 1870-S alone came to 1 million, roughly 18 for every 1870-CC. If you're checking a pile of 1870 coins, the CC is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1874-CC (59,000) and the 1866-S, No Motto (60,000).
Of the 10 Seated Liberty Half Dollars Carson City struck between 1870 and 1878, this is the scarcest. Within the 1870s it's 4th smallest of 32, between the 1878-S (12,000) and the 1874-CC (59,000).
Motto above the eagle and Carson City (1866 to 1872)
IN GOD WE TRUST was added on a scroll above the eagle in 1866. San Francisco struck both the old and new reverses that year. The 1866-S without motto, with 60,000 made, is scarce. Philadelphia mintages ran from about 418,000 to 1.2 million a year, while San Francisco often struck more than one million.
The Carson City Mint struck its first halves in 1870. The 1870-CC, with 54,617 made, is the key. Carson City halves of 1871 and 1872 are scarce in all grades. Many Nevada-struck halves circulated in the mining West and survive heavily worn, scratched or cleaned. Mint state CC halves of these years are major rarities, so most collectors settle for a sound Fine or Very Fine coin.
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 holding a shield inscribed LIBERTY and a pole topped with a liberty cap, with 13 stars around her and the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with HALF DOL. below. Arrows beside the date (1853 to 1855 and 1873 to 1874) and rays around the eagle (1853) mark weight changes and IN GOD WE TRUST appears above the eagle from 1866.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Half Dollar (1839–1891) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Mint | Carson City Mint |
| Mint mark | "CC" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 54,617 |
| Face value | 50¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 12.44 grams |
| Diameter | 30.6 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.3600 troy oz (11.196 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 634,900 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1870-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 1,004,000 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
| 1870-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar | 54,617 | Circulation strike | 0.3600 oz |
Mintage: United States half dollar mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.