1851 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1851

The three-cent silver piece was introduced in 1851 so people could buy the new three-cent postage stamps. It was the lightest coin the United States has ever issued.

New this year: the Three-Cent Silver.

How many coins were made in 1851

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 23,634,177 coins dated 1851 across 15 issues. That is 99% more than in 1850 (11,898,445). In 1852 the figure rose to 29,647,929.

No earlier year on our list comes close: it was the largest output up to that point.

By mint: Philadelphia 20,823,028 (88%, up from 8,213,097), New Orleans 2,760,000 (12%, down from 3,670,000), Charlotte 41,267 (0.17%, up from 6,966) and Dahlonega 9,882 (0.04%, up from 8,382).

Those coins held about 573,756 troy ounces of pure silver and 177,015 troy ounces of gold.

1851 coins by denomination

Cents: 9,889,707 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Braided Hair Large Cent, up 123% on 1850.

Dimes: 1,426,500 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 42% on 1850. The scarcest is the 1851-O (400,000) and the most plentiful the 1851 (1,026,500).

Quarters: 248,000 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Quarter, up 30% on 1850. The scarcest is the 1851-O (88,000) and the most plentiful the 1851 (160,000).

Half Dollars: 602,750 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, down 78% on 1850. The scarcest is the 1851 (200,750) and the most plentiful the 1851-O (402,000).

Gold Coins: 3,658,820 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Gold Dollar, up 616% on 1850. The scarcest is the 1851-D (9,882) and the most plentiful the 1851 (3,317,671).

Odd Denominations: 7,808,400 struck in 4 circulation issues of the Three-Cent Silver and Seated Liberty Half Dime, up 375% on 1850. The scarcest is the 1851-O (720,000) and the most plentiful the 1851 (5,447,400).

Every 1851 circulation issue at a glance

• 1851-D Gold Dollar: 9,882 struck, 36th lowest of 75 in the series, similar to 1850.
• 1851-C Gold Dollar: 41,267 struck, more than 72% of the series' 75 issues, up from 6,966 in 1850.
• 1851-O Seated Liberty Quarter: 88,000 struck, 39th lowest of 108 in the series, down from 412,000 in 1849.
• 1851 Seated Liberty Quarter: 160,000 struck, 51st lowest of 108 in the series, similar to 1850.
• 1851 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 200,750 struck, 28th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 1850.
• 1851-O Gold Dollar: 290,000 struck, more than 82% of the series' 75 issues, up from 14,000 in 1850.
• 1851-O Seated Liberty Dime: 400,000 struck, 45th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 510,000 in 1850.
• 1851-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 402,000 struck, 42nd lowest of 116 in the series, down from 2,456,000 in 1850.
• 1851-O Three-Cent Silver: 720,000 struck, more than 73% of the series' 23 issues.
• 1851 Seated Liberty Half Dime: 781,000 struck, more than 52% of the series' 70 issues, similar to 1850.
• 1851-O Seated Liberty Half Dime: 860,000 struck, more than 59% of the series' 70 issues, similar to 1850.
• 1851 Seated Liberty Dime: 1,026,500 struck, more than 55% of the series' 116 issues, down from 1,931,500 in 1850.

The 3 more plentiful issues are listed in the tables below.

Braided Hair Large Cent: Record output and the end of the large cent

The large cent peaked in 1851 with 9.9 million coined. That year includes the 1851/81 date error. Output stayed high through 1854, but copper prices kept rising. By the mid 1850s each cent cost close to its face value to make. The 1855 has upright and slanting 5 varieties plus a Knob on Ear die break. The 1856 comes with an upright or slanting 5.

Congress ended the large cent with the Act of February 21, 1857, which created the smaller copper-nickel cent. Only 333,456 large cents dated 1857 were coined, early in the year, in large date and small date styles. These later dates survive in larger numbers in uncirculated grades than earlier cents, many with original red and brown color. Proof mintages also increased in 1854 to 1857 as interest in collecting grew.

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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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Gold Dollar: Small Type 1 dollars of the gold rush

The Act of March 3, 1849 created the gold dollar to make use of the flood of California gold. James B. Longacre's Type 1 coin is tiny, about 13 mm across, with a Liberty head and a wreath reverse. Philadelphia, Charlotte, Dahlonega and New Orleans all struck it in 1849. By 1853 Philadelphia was producing millions a year.

First-year 1849 coins come with open and closed wreaths and with or without Longacre's L on the truncation. The 1849-C with an open wreath is a great rarity. Charlotte and Dahlonega coins were struck in small numbers and often show weak strikes, while New Orleans pieces are more plentiful. Many Type 1 dollars were made into jewelry, so check for solder marks and polished surfaces.

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Three-Cent Silver: Type 1 trimes for the postage rate

The Act of March 3, 1851 cut the letter postage rate to three cents and created a small silver three-cent piece to pay it. James B. Longacre's design shows a six-pointed star with a shield on one side and a C with the Roman numeral III on the other. At 0.80 grams it is the lightest silver coin the United States has struck.

Type 1 coins are 75 percent silver and have no outline around the star. Philadelphia struck 18,663,500 in 1852. New Orleans struck 720,000 in 1851, the only branch mint three-cent piece. The low silver content kept them in circulation while full-weight silver coins were being hoarded. Survivors are common in worn grades and are frequently bent or holed.

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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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