Seated Liberty/Legend Obverse Half Dimes 1860-1873 Coin Guide
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Seated Liberty/Legend Obverse Half Dimes 1860-1873
Photo courtesy LeeG member of the PCGS boards
The half dime was the first denomination struck when the United States
Mint was established in 1792. It was a lynchpin of the decimal coinage
system envisioned by Jefferson and Hamilton, a system based on a method
invented in Europe two centuries earlier. Decimal coinage was
revolutionary, a departure from all other currencies then in use. The new
U.S. dollar, unlike the familiar Spanish dollar with its eight parts, or
bits, was divided into tenths and hundredths. Above the copper cents and
half cents, the half dime was the smallest denomination. It was also the
smallest silver coin minted until the introduction of the silver
three-cent piece in 1851.
Prior to the Civil War, half dimes circulated alongside many odd
foreign coins. Spanish coins in particular were square pegs trying to fit
in the round holes of the decimal system. The Spanish real (bit) and half
real (half bit) circulated as twelve and six cents, respectively. Very
worn pieces were colloquially called the levy, a corruption of
"eleven pence" and fip ("five-and-a-half pence")-terms
dating back to colonial times. When sold for bullion at the mint, these
worn pieces were discounted, valued only at a dime and half dime,
respectively.
Technology, primarily the steam press, made coins easier to manufacture
beginning in the 1830s. In 1837 the portrait and eagle designs used on the
earlier half dimes, including the preceding Capped Bust type, gave way to
the beautiful and scientifically constructed Seated Liberty and wreath
design by Christian Gobrecht. The eagle never again appeared on the half
dime.
When the Seated Liberty quarter was introduced in 1838, with its
thirteen stars surrounding Liberty, the tradition of design uniformity
among coins of the same metal won out over art, and the clean, uncluttered
half dime and dime received the stars. In 1840 artist Robert Ball Hughes
reworked the figure of Liberty. He added drapery at the elbow, placed the
shield in an upright position and made other minor alterations. Many
observers feel the sum of his efforts only succeeded in "fattening
and flattening" Gobrecht's sleek design.
The California Gold Rush spawned the discovery of huge amounts of the
precious metal, causing the value of silver to rise in terms of gold and
resulting in widespread exporting and melting of silver coins. By 1853 the
government was forced to reduce the amount of silver in coins to prevent
them from being melted. Arrowheads pointing outward were added to either
side of the date on the half dimes from 1853 through '55, signifying the
change in weight. They were removed for the coinage of 1856 and subsequent
years.
The design was again tampered with in 1859, when Engraver James B.
Longacre's assistant, Anthony C. Paquet, created a new version notable for
its hollow stars surrounding the Liberty figure. Some pieces were made in
1859 and 1860 combining this obverse with the new reverse wreath of later
issues. Lacking the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, these "coins
without a country" are really fantasy pieces, being neither patterns
nor coins intended for circulation.
In 1860 Longacre redesigned the Seated Liberty half dime for the last
time. Known as the Legend Obverse type, it retained the seated Liberty
figure holding a staff topped with a Liberty cap. The legend UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA replaced the thirteen stars that had surrounded Liberty on
previous versions. The simple reverse wreath was discarded and replaced by
an elaborate one made up of sprigs of corn, wheat, oak and maple and tied
with a bow at the bottom (this Cereal Wreath motif by Paquet was also used
on the Seated Liberty and Barber dimes). The denomination HALF DIME
appears within the wreath.
Besides the Philadelphia Mint (no mintmark), this coin type was minted
in New Orleans in 1860 (O) and in San Francisco (S) from 1863 through
1873. The mintmark is found below the bow, except on the San Francisco
issues of 1870 through early 1872, where it appears within the wreath.
Although 15,573,280 Legend half dimes (including 10,040 proofs) were
minted in the fourteen years that this type was current, the effects of
civil war, bullion melts and use as jewelry items ravaged the issues from
the 1860s. Still, several small hoards have been uncovered that yielded a
few uncirculated specimens from this period. Other uncirculated specimens
have surfaced in original Mint-assembled proof sets. Whether this occurred
due to indifference or carelessness by Mint employees remains unclear. The
dates found most frequently in uncirculated condition are the Philadelphia
Mint issues from 1860 through 1862 and both the Philadelphia and San
Francisco Mint half dimes from 1871 through the end of the series in 1873.
Unquestionably, 1870-S is the rarest and most fascinating Legend half
dime. When construction started on the second San Francisco Mint in 1870,
coins minted specifically to commemorate the occasion were placed inside
the cornerstone. Only one 1870-S half dime was supposed to exist (and the
mint building still stands), but in 1978 a duplicate specimen surfaced.
The coin's display at the 1978 convention of the American Numismatic
Association caused quite a stir. It subsequently sold for a six-figure
price.
When grading this design, look carefully at the surfaces of the fields
to check for hairlines, evidence of cleaning, removal of solder or
retooling of the design elements. Half dimes were heavily used in jewelry
during the 1870s and '80s and were popular as tie tacks, cuff links,
buttons and pins. The obverse will first show wear on Liberty's kneecap
and breast. On the reverse, check the bow of the ribbon and the leaves in
the wreath.
Although it is possible to assemble a complete uncirculated set of
Legend half dimes by date and mintmark (sans the 1870-S), few collectors
try. This design is more popularly collected as part of a type set of 19th
century issues that might include the major varieties of the Gobrecht
design. A small but interesting collection could be a Legend half dime
from each mint. This would include the only New Orleans coin, 1860-O, a
Philadelphia issue and one from San Francisco. The set could be expanded
by including examples of both mintmark positions of the San Francisco
coins.
The Coinage Act of 1873 changed the weights of the dime, quarter dollar
and half dollar to conform with metric standards. The new law, which went
into effect April 1, also ended the production of several denominations,
including the half dime, as these were no longer listed among the
authorized issues. The need for a five-cent coin was filled by the
copper-nickel piece, which had been in production since 1866 and remains
current even today.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Diameter: 15.5 millimeters Weight: 1.24 grams Composition: .900 silver,
.100 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight: .0358 ounce pure silver
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Blythe, Al, The Complete Guide to Liberty
Seated Half Dimes, DLRC Press, Virginia Beach, VA, 1992. Bowers, Q. David,
United States Coins by Design Types, An Action Guide for the Collector and
Investor, Bowers and Merena, Wolfeboro, NH, 1986. Breen, Walter, Walter
Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins, F.C.I.
Press/Doubleday, New York, 1988. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage,
Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966.
Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.
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