1846 US Coins: Values & Mintages

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 1846

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 9,203,100 coins dated 1846 across 6 issues. That is 17% fewer than in 1845 (11,048,804). In 1847 the figure rose to 12,544,669.

By mint: Philadelphia 6,899,100 (75%, down from 8,724,804) and New Orleans 2,304,000 (25%, down from 2,324,000).

Those coins held about 1,847,068 troy ounces of pure silver.

1846 coins by denomination

Cents: 4,120,800 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Braided Hair Large Cent, up 5.8% on 1845.

Dimes: 31,300 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 98% on 1845.

Quarters: 510,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Quarter, down 45% on 1845.

Half Dollars: 4,514,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, up 68% on 1845. The scarcest is the 1846 (2,210,000) and the most plentiful the 1846-O (2,304,000).

Odd Denominations: 27,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Half Dime, down 98% on 1845.

Every 1846 circulation issue at a glance

• 1846 Seated Liberty Half Dime: 27,000 struck, 5th lowest of 70 in the series, down from 1,564,000 in 1845.
• 1846 Seated Liberty Dime: 31,300 struck, 12th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 1,755,000 in 1845.
• 1846 Seated Liberty Quarter: 510,000 struck, more than 67% of the series' 108 issues, down from 922,000 in 1845.
• 1846 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 2,210,000 struck, more than 79% of the series' 116 issues, up from 589,000 in 1845.
• 1846-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 2,304,000 struck, more than 81% of the series' 116 issues, similar to 1845.
• 1846 Braided Hair Large Cent: 4,120,800 struck, more than 56% of the series' 19 issues, similar to 1845.

Braided Hair Large Cent: Mature Head and rising demand

With the Mature Head in place, the Mint focused on volume. Production grew from 2.4 million in 1844 to more than 6 million in both 1847 and 1848, driven by population growth and expanding retail trade. Working dies now came from a master hub that carried everything but the date, so the portrait is very consistent from year to year, while the hand punched dates still vary.

Several date errors from this era are popular. The 1844/81 shows a date punched upside down and then corrected. The 1846 has a tall date, a medium date and a small date. The 1847 includes a 7 over small 7 repunching. Because so many coins were made, circulated examples are easy to find. These years are a practical choice for a type coin. Many survivors are evenly worn and brown, though some show cleaning or rim nicks from heavy use.

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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: The 1846 and the rising price of silver

Philadelphia's dime output collapsed in 1846 to just 31,300 coins, the smallest Seated dime mintage before the Civil War. It struck only 245,000 in 1847 and 451,500 in 1848, while New Orleans made no dimes from 1846 to 1848. The 1846 is the key of the decade and a worn example is still a significant rarity. Altered dates are a known problem, so check the 6 closely.

The gold discoveries in California from 1848 changed everything. As gold poured in, silver rose in value against it. By about 1850 the silver in a dime was worth a little more than ten cents, so brokers and banks pulled new dimes out of circulation and melted or exported them. Philadelphia kept striking, with 1,931,500 in 1850, 1,026,500 in 1851 and 1,535,500 in 1852. New Orleans added between 300,000 and 510,000 a year from 1849 to 1852. Many of these coins never saw long use, which is why some dates are scarcer today than the figures suggest.

The O mint marks of 1849 to 1852 are better dates than their Philadelphia partners. All dimes of the era still weigh 2.67 grams. If yours shows arrows beside the date, it belongs to the next period instead. The shortage hit every silver coin, not just the dime. In 1851 Congress tried a stopgap, the tiny three-cent silver piece, made with less silver than its face value so it would not be hoarded.

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Seated Liberty Half Dime: The 1846 and the silver squeeze

Philadelphia struck just 27,000 half dimes in 1846, the key of the decade and one of the rarest dates in the series. Output recovered to 1,274,000 in 1847. In 1848 Philadelphia used Medium Date and Large Date dies for its 668,000 coins, while New Orleans struck 600,000. The 1849 Philadelphia total of 1,309,000 includes the 1849/6 and 1849/8 overdates, made by recutting older date dies. The 1849-O, at 140,000, is another scarce date. New Orleans struck no half dimes from 1845 to 1847, then returned with 600,000 in 1848.

Gold from California made silver more valuable from about 1849. By 1850 the silver in a half dime was worth a little more than five cents, so many new coins were melted or sent abroad. Mintages stayed fairly high anyway. Philadelphia struck between 781,000 and 1,000,500 a year from 1850 to 1852 and New Orleans between 260,000 and 860,000. The 1852-O, at 260,000, is the scarcer coin of those years. Congress answered the shortage in 1851 with the three-cent silver coin, which held less silver than its face value so it could not profitably be melted.

For the 1846, check the date closely because altered dates exist. For the 1849, look at the last digit under strong magnification for traces of an earlier 6 or 8. All half dimes of this period still weigh 1.34 grams.

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