1840 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1840

Drapery was added below Liberty's elbow on the Seated Liberty dime, quarter and half dollar. The Seated Liberty dollar went into regular production.

The Mint in the 1840s

The Seated Liberty design was now on the half dime, dime, quarter, half dollar and silver dollar and Liberty gained extra drapery at her elbow in 1840. James B. Longacre became chief engraver in 1844 after Gobrecht's death. The New Orleans Mint struck large numbers of silver coins, while Charlotte and Dahlonega coined gold from the southern gold fields.

The Mexican-American War ended in 1848 with California under US control and the discovery of gold there that year changed everything. By 1849 Congress had authorized the gold dollar and the $20 double eagle to turn the new gold into coin. The cent was still the large copper coin, struck only in Philadelphia.

How many coins were made in 1840

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 10,179,220 coins dated 1840 across 13 issues. That is 14% fewer than in 1839 (11,880,487). In 1841 the figure fell to 8,475,367.

It was the smallest year since 1833.

By mint: Philadelphia 6,788,920 (67%, down from 9,407,448) and New Orleans 3,390,300 (33%, up from 2,473,039).

Those coins held about 1,288,003 troy ounces of pure silver.

1840 coins by denomination

Cents: 2,462,700 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Braided Hair Large Cent, down 26% on 1839.

Dimes: 2,534,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, up 6.6% on 1839. The scarcest is the 1840 (With Drapery) (377,500) and the most plentiful the 1840-O (1,175,000).

Quarters: 613,327 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Quarter, up 25% on 1839. The scarcest is the 1840-O, With Drapery (43,000) and the most plentiful the 1840-O, No Drapery (382,200).

Half Dollars: 2,290,108 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, down 36% on 1839. The scarcest is the 1840-O (855,100) and the most plentiful the 1840 (1,435,008).

Odd Denominations: 2,279,085 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dime, up 8.4% on 1839. The scarcest is the 1840-O (With Drapery) (240,000) and the most plentiful the 1840 (1,034,000).

Every 1840 circulation issue at a glance

• 1840-O Seated Liberty Quarter, With Drapery: 43,000 struck, 25th lowest of 108 in the series.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Quarter, With Drapery: 188,127 struck, more than 50% of the series' 108 issues, down from 491,146 in 1839.
• 1840-O Seated Liberty Half Dime (With Drapery): 240,000 struck, 21st lowest of 70 in the series, down from 1,034,039 in 1839.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Half Dime (With Drapery): 310,085 struck, 24th lowest of 70 in the series, down from 1,069,150 in 1839.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Dime (With Drapery): 377,500 struck, 44th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 1,053,115 in 1839.
• 1840-O Seated Liberty Quarter, No Drapery: 382,200 struck, more than 58% of the series' 108 issues.
• 1840-O Seated Liberty Half Dime: 695,000 struck, 35th lowest of 70 in the series, down from 1,034,039 in 1839.
• 1840-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 855,100 struck, more than 55% of the series' 116 issues.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Dime: 981,500 struck, more than 54% of the series' 116 issues, similar to 1839.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Half Dime: 1,034,000 struck, more than 64% of the series' 70 issues, similar to 1839.
• 1840-O Seated Liberty Dime: 1,175,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 116 issues, similar to 1839.
• 1840 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 1,435,008 struck, more than 70% of the series' 116 issues, up from 100,000 in 1839.

The 1 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Braided Hair Large Cent: Petite Head cents

Christian Gobrecht's Braided Hair portrait arrived late in 1839, so only about 200,000 cents of the new design carry that date. The first version, called the Petite Head, shows a small head with small letters on the reverse. Annual output settled between 1.6 and 2.5 million cents. The 1840 and 1842 each come in small date and large date styles. The 1840 has a small date over large 18 variety.

In 1843 the Mint introduced a larger, more mature head and larger reverse letters. That year therefore has three combinations: Petite Head with small letters, Mature Head with large letters and a scarce mule pairing the Petite Head with the large letter reverse. Petite Head cents are usually seen worn to Very Fine or below with chocolate brown color. Proofs from these years are rare and were made only in very small numbers.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Seated quarters before the 1853 weight cut

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty quarter replaced the Capped Bust late in 1838. The first coins have no drapery at Liberty's elbow. Extra folds of cloth were added in 1840, the same year the New Orleans Mint struck its first quarters in both styles. New Orleans then made quarters in most years of the 1840s, with the mint mark below the eagle.

After the California gold discoveries, silver rose in value against gold. Quarters became worth more as bullion than as money, so many were melted or shipped abroad. Philadelphia struck only 160,000 in 1851 and New Orleans just 88,000. The 1849-O, 1851-O and 1852-O are the scarce dates of these years. The 1842 small date exists only as a Philadelphia proof, while New Orleans struck both small and large dates that year.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Gobrecht's seated half and New Orleans output

The Seated Liberty half dollar arrived in 1839. The earliest coins lack drapery at Liberty's elbow, while later 1839 coins show the added folds of cloth. From 1840 New Orleans produced halves every year of the period, often outstripping Philadelphia, with the mint mark below the eagle. New Orleans struck 3,180,000 in 1848 while Philadelphia made only 580,000.

Varieties include the scarce 1842-O small date and the 1846 with a 6 punched over a horizontal 6. After gold was found in California, the silver in these coins became worth more than face value. Many were melted or exported. Philadelphia struck only 227,000 in 1850, 200,750 in 1851 and 77,130 in 1852, making the 1852 the scarcest Philadelphia date of the period.

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Seated Liberty Dime: No stars, then stars, then drapery

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design reached the dime in 1837. It was a small version of his silver dollar of 1836 and drew on sketches by the painters Thomas Sully and Titian Peale. The very first dimes show Liberty and the date with no stars at all. Philadelphia struck 682,500 of these No Stars coins, in Large Date and Small Date forms. In 1838 the newly opened New Orleans Mint added 406,034 more, the first dimes ever struck outside Philadelphia. Its dies followed the original design without stars, so the 1838-O is a No Stars coin too.

Philadelphia put thirteen stars around Liberty in 1838 to match the other silver coins and output jumped to 1,992,500. Small Stars, Large Stars and Partial Drapery dies are all part of that figure. New Orleans then struck more dimes than Philadelphia in 1839, with 1,323,000 against 1,053,115. Late in 1840 the sculptor Robert Ball Hughes reworked Liberty. He added a fold of cloth that falls from her left elbow over her knee, gave her a larger cap and stood the shield more upright. Only 377,500 Philadelphia dimes of 1840 carry the new drapery, against 981,500 without it.

For any dime of these four years, start by looking below Liberty's elbow. No extra cloth there means a No Drapery coin. Then count the stars, or note that there are none. Every coin of the period weighs 2.67 grams of 90 percent silver and most survivors are well worn, so a No Stars dime with a clear date and a readable shield is a pleasing find.

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Seated Liberty Half Dime: No stars, then stars, then drapery

Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty half dime appeared in 1837, the same year as the dime. The first coins have no stars on the obverse, just Liberty and the date. Philadelphia struck 1,405,000 of them, in Large Date and Small Date forms. In 1838 the new New Orleans Mint made its first half dimes, 70,000 coins that also lack stars. The 1838-O is the key of the early years and a significant rarity in any grade. Only these two issues, the 1837 and the 1838-O, carry the No Stars design, so both are popular type coins.

Philadelphia added thirteen stars around Liberty in 1838 and struck 2,225,000 coins with Large Stars and Small Stars. In 1839 Philadelphia and New Orleans made almost the same number, 1,069,150 and 1,034,039. Late in 1840 Robert Ball Hughes reworked Liberty, adding drapery at her left elbow. Both mints struck both styles that year. Philadelphia made 1,034,000 without drapery and 310,085 with it. New Orleans made 695,000 without drapery and 240,000 with it, which makes the 1840-O With Drapery the scarcer of the pair.

All half dimes of these years are 15.5 millimeters across and weigh 1.34 grams of 90 percent silver. They are tiny and easy to lose, so many survivors show bends, holes or harsh cleaning. Check for stars first, then look below Liberty's elbow for the drapery.

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