1874 US Coins: Values & Mintages

US coinage in 1874

The arrows marking the slightly heavier dimes, quarters and half dollars were used for the last time.

How many coins were made in 1874

Counting the circulation issues on this page, US mints struck 24,790,917 coins dated 1874 across 11 issues. That is close to the 1873 total of 26,661,173. In 1875 the figure rose to 56,363,900.

By mint: Philadelphia 23,695,100 (96%, down from 25,108,460), San Francisco 1,026,000 (4.1%, down from 1,168,000) and Carson City 69,817 (0.28%, down from 384,713).

Those coins held about 1,404,437 troy ounces of pure silver and 9,618 troy ounces of gold.

1874 coins by denomination

Cents: 14,187,500 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Indian Head Cent, up 22% on 1873.

Nickels: 3,538,000 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Shield Nickel, down 22% on 1873.

Dimes: 3,190,117 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Dime, down 28% on 1873. The scarcest is the 1874-CC (10,817) and the most plentiful the 1874 (2,939,300).

Quarters: 863,200 struck in 2 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Quarter, down 48% on 1873. The scarcest is the 1874-S (392,000) and the most plentiful the 1874 (471,200).

Half Dollars: 2,813,300 struck in 3 circulation issues of the Seated Liberty Half Dollar, down 12% on 1873. The scarcest is the 1874-CC (59,000) and the most plentiful the 1874 (2,360,300).

Gold Coins: 198,800 struck in 1 circulation issue of the Gold Dollar, up 59% on 1873.

Every 1874 circulation issue at a glance

• 1874-CC Seated Liberty Dime: 10,817 struck, 4th lowest of 116 in the series, similar to 1873.
• 1874-CC Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 59,000 struck, 17th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 122,500 in 1873.
• 1874 Gold Dollar: 198,800 struck, more than 80% of the series' 75 issues, up from 125,100 in 1873.
• 1874-S Seated Liberty Dime: 240,000 struck, 37th lowest of 116 in the series, down from 455,000 in 1873.
• 1874-S Seated Liberty Quarter: 392,000 struck, more than 60% of the series' 108 issues, up from 156,000 in 1873.
• 1874-S Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 394,000 struck, 40th lowest of 116 in the series, up from 5,000 in 1873.
• 1874 Seated Liberty Quarter: 471,200 struck, more than 65% of the series' 108 issues, up from 212,000 in 1873.
• 1874 Seated Liberty Half Dollar: 2,360,300 struck, more than 83% of the series' 116 issues, up from 214,200 in 1873.
• 1874 Seated Liberty Dime: 2,939,300 struck, more than 79% of the series' 116 issues, up from 60,000 in 1873.
• 1874 Shield Nickel: 3,538,000 struck, more than 50% of the series' 17 issues, down from 4,549,100 in 1873.
• 1874 Indian Head Cent: 14,187,500 struck, 18th lowest of 54 in the series, similar to 1873.

Indian Head Cent: Open 3, Closed 3 and the rare 1877

Early 1873 cents used a date punch where the knobs of the 3 nearly touch, which looked too much like an 8. The Mint switched to an Open 3 later in the year. The Closed 3 also produced a scarce doubled LIBERTY variety. Production climbed above 14 million in 1874, then the long slump that followed the Panic of 1873 cut demand.

The 1877 is the key date of the series, with only 852,500 coined at a time when the Treasury held a surplus of minor coins and business was weak. It has been widely counterfeited, often by reshaping the last digit of an 1879 or another date, so authentication matters. The 1878 recovered only to about 5.8 million. Most survivors from these years are brown and circulated. Many 1877 cents have been cleaned or damaged, so problem free examples are especially sought after.

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Shield Nickel: Open 3, Closed 3 and the proof only years

The 1873 date punch first had a Closed 3 that looked too much like an 8, so it was replaced by an Open 3 during the year. Both varieties exist. The Closed 3 is scarcer and includes a doubled date. The Panic of 1873 and the lingering surplus of minor coins cut demand. Output fell from 3.5 million in 1874 to between 2 and 2.5 million in 1875 and 1876.

In 1877 and 1878 no nickels were struck for circulation. Only proofs were made, about 900 in 1877 and 2,350 in 1878, which makes these dates key coins for anyone completing the series. Lower grade examples exist because some proofs were spent. Business strikes from 1874 to 1876 are relatively scarce and are usually seen with moderate wear, often with the weak strike typical of the type.

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Seated Liberty Quarter: Arrows return and the redemption flood

The Coinage Act of 1873 raised the quarter slightly to 6.25 grams. Arrows again flanked the date in 1873 and 1874 to mark the change. Earlier in 1873 Philadelphia struck no-arrow quarters with both closed 3 and open 3 dates. Carson City's 1873-CC without arrows had a reported mintage of 4,000 and only five examples are known.

The Resumption Act of 1875 called for silver coins to replace the small paper notes issued during the Civil War. Quarter output exploded: Philadelphia struck 17.8 million in 1876 and 10.9 million in 1877, while San Francisco and Carson City added millions more. The 1877-S includes an S over horizontal S variety. The 1878-S, with only 140,000 struck, is the scarce date. The 1878-CC was Carson City's last quarter. Coins of 1875 to 1877 are the most common Seated quarters today.

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Seated Liberty Half Dollar: Arrows again and the silver flood

Early 1873 halves without arrows come with closed 3 and open 3 dates. The 1873-S without arrows had a reported mintage of 5,000, but no example is known today. Once the Coinage Act of 1873 set the half at 12.5 grams, arrows were added beside the date for 1873 and 1874. The 1874-CC, with 59,000 struck, is the scarce coin of that type.

From 1875 to 1877 the Mint struck halves by the millions to retire fractional paper currency. These are the most common Seated halves and the easiest to find in mint state. The flood ended abruptly in 1878. San Francisco struck only 12,000 and Carson City 62,000 that year. The 1878-S is one of the major rarities of the series. The 1878-CC is scarce as well.

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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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Seated Liberty Dime: Arrows again and the lost 1873-CC

The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 raised the dime slightly from 2.49 to 2.50 grams to fit a metric standard. Arrows went back beside the date on the new coins of 1873 and 1874. The same act ended the half dime, the three-cent silver piece, the two-cent piece and the standard silver dollar. Before the change, Philadelphia struck 1,508,000 dimes without arrows with a Close 3 in the date. Mint officials complained that the 3 looked too much like an 8, so new date punches with an Open 3 were made and 60,000 more were struck before the arrows arrived.

Carson City struck 12,400 dimes without arrows early in 1873. After the new law took effect nearly all were melted and only one is known today. The arrows coins that followed include 2,377,700 from Philadelphia, 455,000 from San Francisco and 18,791 from Carson City. In 1874 Philadelphia struck 2,939,300, San Francisco 240,000 and Carson City only 10,817. The 1873-CC and 1874-CC arrows dimes are among the hardest CC dimes to find.

To sort an 1873 dime, check for arrows first. Without arrows, look at the 3. On a Close 3 the knobs nearly touch, while on an Open 3 they stand well apart. Arrows dimes of both years are popular type coins, since they are a separate two-year design. The Philadelphia coins are the easy ones in circulated grades.

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