1863 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1863

With cents hoarded during the Civil War, merchants issued millions of privately made cent-sized tokens to make change. Congress banned private coinage the following year.

How many coins were made in 1863

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 51,767,960 coins dated 1863 across 10 issues. That is 48% more than in 1862 (34,903,655). In 1864 the figure rose to 74,344,284.

It was the biggest year since 1858.

By mint: Philadelphia 50,594,460 (98%, up from 33,303,905) and San Francisco 1,173,500 (2.3%, down from 1,599,750).

Those coins held about 562,551 troy ounces of pure silver and 300 troy ounces of gold.

1863 coins by denomination

Cents: 49,840,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Indian Head Cent, up 78% on 1862.

Dimes: 171,500 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 83% on 1862. The scarcest is the 1863 (14,000) and the most plentiful the 1863-S (157,500).

Quarters: 191,600 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Seated Liberty Quarter, down 81% on 1862.

Half Dollars: 1,419,660 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, down 12% on 1862. The scarcest is the 1863 (503,660) and the most plentiful the 1863-S (916,000).

Gold Coins: 6,200 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Gold Dollar, down 100% on 1862.

Odd Denominations: 139,000 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Three-Cent Silver and Seated Liberty Half Dime, down 92% on 1862. The scarcest is the 1863 (18,000) and the most plentiful the 1863-S (100,000).

Every 1863 circulation issue at a glance

• 1863 Gold Dollar: 6,200 struck, 25th lowest of 75 in the series, down from 1,361,355 in 1862.
• 1863 Seated Liberty Dime: 14,000 struck, 7th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 847,000 in 1862.
• 1863 Seated Liberty Half Dime: 18,000 struck, 4th lowest of 70 in the series, down from 1,492,000 in 1862.
• 1863 Three-Cent Silver: 21,000 struck, 9th lowest of 23 in the series, down from 343,000 in 1862.
• 1863-S Seated Liberty Half Dime: 100,000 struck, 10th lowest of 70 in the series.
• 1863-S Seated Liberty Dime: 157,500 struck, 28th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 1862.
• 1863 Seated Liberty Quarter: 191,600 struck, more than 52% of the series' 108 issues, down from 932,000 in 1862.
• 1863 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 503,660 struck, 47th lowest of 116 in the series, up from 253,550 in 1862.
• 1863-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 916,000 struck, more than 57% of the series' 116 issues, down from 1,352,000 in 1862.
• 1863 Indian Head Cent: 49,840,000 struck, more than 79% of the series' 54 issues, up from 28,075,000 in 1862.

Indian Head Cent: Copper-nickel years and the Civil War

James Longacre's Indian Head replaced the Flying Eagle in 1859 because the new portrait struck up more fully. The 1859 is a one year type with a laurel wreath reverse. The Mint made 36.4 million. In 1860 the Mint switched to an oak wreath with a small shield at the top, the reverse used for the rest of the series.

The Civil War changed everything. By 1862 people were hoarding all coins, including these copper-nickel cents. Private merchants issued millions of lighter Civil War tokens to fill the gap. Mint output rose to meet demand, with 28 million cents in 1862 and nearly 50 million in 1863. Copper-nickel Indian cents are thick and pale tan in color. The hard metal often left weak feather tips and diamonds on the ribbon. They wear evenly and many survive in Fine to Extremely Fine.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Heavy output and Civil War hoarding

With the lighter standard in place, quarters circulated freely. Philadelphia struck about 7.3 million in 1856, 9.6 million in 1857 and 7.4 million in 1858. The 1856-S includes a large S over small S variety. New Orleans made its last quarters of the period in 1860 and did not strike them again until 1891.

Once banks suspended specie payments at the end of 1861, silver vanished from circulation in the East. Philadelphia output fell to 191,600 in 1863, 93,600 in 1864 and 58,800 in 1865, while San Francisco, where silver still passed at par, kept striking small runs. The 1864-S, at 20,000, is the key of the decade. From 1858 proofs were made each year in the hundreds. Several of the Civil War dates are easier to find as proofs than as business strikes.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Peak branch output and the 1861-O

With the arrows gone, halves were struck in large numbers. New Orleans reached 7,294,000 in 1858. San Francisco's early halves, such as the 1856-S and 1857-S, are scarce in better grades. In 1861 New Orleans struck 2,532,633 halves under three authorities: the United States, the State of Louisiana and the Confederacy. Specialists use die markers to tell which authority struck a given coin. Four halves were also made with a Confederate reverse design.

During the Civil War silver disappeared from eastern circulation. Philadelphia mintages fell to between about 250,000 and 512,000 a year from 1862 to 1865. San Francisco, where coins still passed at face, struck more halves than Philadelphia in most of those years. Worn wartime Philadelphia halves are harder to find than their mintages suggest because many were melted later.

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Gold Dollar: Wartime suspension and tiny mintages

Banks stopped paying out gold at the end of 1861 and gold coins disappeared from eastern circulation. After a large 1862 mintage of 1,361,355, Philadelphia struck only a few thousand gold dollars a year through most of the 1860s and 1870s. Gold remained at a premium over paper money until specie payments resumed at the start of 1879.

Exceptions were 1873 and 1874, when production rose to 125,100 and 198,800. The 1873 comes with closed 3 and open 3 dates. The 1875, with only 400 business strikes and 20 proofs, is the lowest mintage of the type. The 1870-S, 3,000 struck, is the only San Francisco gold dollar of the period. Survivors from these years are scarce in any grade.

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Three-Cent Silver: Hoarding and the proof-only years

When silver was hoarded during the Civil War, the three-cent silver stopped circulating. Philadelphia struck only 21,000 in 1863 and no more than 22,000 a year after that, falling to 1,000 in 1872. The copper-nickel three-cent piece of 1865 took over its role in commerce. Proof sets of these years included the coin.

Proofs were struck each year, often in numbers close to or above the business strikes, so proofs of these dates are easier to find than circulation strikes. The 1873 was made only as a proof with a closed 3, after which the Coinage Act of 1873 ended the denomination. Many business strikes of these years were later melted. Worn examples of the late dates are rare and are sometimes mistaken for impaired proofs.

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Seated Liberty Dime: Civil War rarities from Philadelphia

These five years hold the lowest Philadelphia mintages of the series. With silver hoarded in the East, Philadelphia struck only 14,000 dimes in 1863, 11,000 in 1864, 10,000 in 1865, 8,000 in 1866 and 6,000 in 1867. Silver was not circulating in the East, so there was little call for new dimes there. Every one of those dates is a key and even a worn example is a significant rarity. The 1867, at 6,000, has the smallest business strike mintage of any Seated dime.

In California gold and silver kept circulating through the war, so San Francisco carried the load. It struck between 135,000 and 230,000 dimes each year, with the 1864-S the largest at 230,000. The S coins are scarce but far more available than the Philadelphia issues of the same years. Many have heavy wear from years of use in the West.

Proofs were struck at Philadelphia throughout the war, with 460 in 1863 and 725 in 1866. For 1863 to 1867 the proof is sometimes easier to find than a business strike of the same date. That makes careful attribution important. A proof has mirror fields, sharp squared rims and crisp stars and letters, while a business strike has satiny luster or ordinary wear. Altered dates and removed mint marks are a known risk, so have any Philadelphia dime of these years authenticated.

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Seated Liberty Half Dime: Civil War scarcity and the first San Francisco half dimes

With silver hoarded in the East, Philadelphia struck very few half dimes for circulation. The totals were 18,000 in 1863, 48,000 in 1864, 13,000 in 1865, 10,000 in 1866 and 8,000 in 1867. Every one of these dates is a key and a significant rarity in any grade. The 1867, at 8,000, has the lowest business strike mintage of any regular Seated half dime. Fractional currency notes in denominations as low as three cents did the work these coins would normally have done. Philadelphia also struck proofs each year, from 460 to 725, so a proof is sometimes easier to find than a business strike.

San Francisco struck its first half dimes in 1863, a total of 100,000. Gold and silver still circulated in California during the war, so S coins went straight into use. San Francisco made 90,000 in 1864 and 120,000 a year from 1865 to 1867. These S dates are scarce but much more available than the Philadelphia coins, though most survivors are well worn.

Because the Philadelphia dates are so rare, check any of them carefully. Confirm the date has not been altered and that no mint mark has been removed. Proofs have deep mirror fields and sharp rims. Business strikes have frosty luster or normal wear. For the S coins, look near the bow of the wreath for the small S.

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