Seated Liberty Stars Obverse Dimes 1838-1860 Coin Guide
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Seated Liberty Stars Obverse Dimes 1838-1860
By 1838, "Hard Times" had descended upon the nation.
Thousands of people quite literally didn't know where their next meal was
coming from. The deep economic depression brought on by over-speculation
and a collapse in real estate prices almost halved the price of cotton and
forced every New England textile mill to close, with one exception:
Nathaniel Stevens' mill in North Andover, Massachusetts. It not only
remained open but expanded its production, taking up the slack for all the
others. Workers there got above-average wages of $4.50 per week plus $2
for board-for a 76-hour workweek.
Ten cents was a significant sum of money, nearly two hours' pay at the
Stevens mill. Thus, the American public took very careful note of the new
ten-cent piece just showing up in its pocket change at the time: the
Seated Liberty dime. Actually, the coin had made its first appearance in
1837, the year before. But in 1838 the United States Mint made a
fundamental change in its design, adding thirteen stars along the obverse
border encircling the central portrait of Liberty. Those stars would
remain in place until 1860, and the "Stars Obverse" dimes would
come to be regarded as a major, distinct component of the Seated Liberty
series.
Very few coins of any denomination were jingling in most Americans'
pocket change in 1838; the depression had led to hoarding of federal
coinage, and so-called Hard Times tokens were being widely used as a money
substitute. When coins did appear, however, the likelihood was high that
they would include Seated Liberty pieces-for during the late 1830s the new
design was introduced not only on the dime but also on all four other
silver coins then being issued: the half dime, quarter dollar, half dollar
and dollar.
The Seated Liberty portrait resulted from the teamwork of two highly
talented men: portraitist Thomas Sully, who designed it, and Mint engraver
Christian Gobrecht, who executed dies from the artwork. It depicts a
seated figure of Liberty with her right hand resting upon a shield and her
left hand grasping a pole topped by a Liberty cap-symbols of preparedness
and freedom. On the quarter and half dollar, the Mint retained essentially
the same reverse as the one that had appeared on their immediate
predecessors from the Capped Bust series: a naturalistic eagle with a
shield superimposed upon its breast. On the half dime and dime, however,
the eagle gave way to a simple statement of value. On the dime, the
inscription ONE DIME appeared within a wreath, and that in turn was
encircled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
In 1838 some dimes came with small stars, others with large stars.
Slightly more than 406,000 dimes were struck that year at the newly opened
New Orleans branch mint; these lacked stars on the obverse. Otherwise, all
dimes of that date were struck in Philadelphia and have the stars.
From late-1840 onward Seated Liberty dimes displayed a fold of drapery
at the crook of Liberty's elbow-the result of modifications by sculptor
Robert Ball Hughes. This was intended in part to give the portrait greater
"respectability" (a theme that would emerge again 75 years
later, when Liberty's bare breast on the Standing Liberty quarter led to
hasty revisions to head off scandal). For 1840, dimes bearing the
additional drapery were coined in relatively small numbers. Besides adding
the drapery in 1840, the Mint also adjusted Liberty's shield to an upright
position.
The California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century had an almost
immediate impact on U.S. coinage: By adding so much gold to existing
supplies, it depressed the market value of that metal in relationship to
silver, and that in turn led to widespread hoarding and melting of silver
coins. These were soon worth more as metal than as money. To restore
proper balance between the two metals and thereby halt the hoarding, the
Mint reduced the weight of its silver coins. The change took place in 1853
and was signified on the dime by the placement of two arrowheads at either
side of the date.
By 1856 the public had become acclimated to the silver coins' new
weight, so the Mint removed the arrows. The 1856 dimes came in two
varieties, with large and small dates, but both are quite common. The
1853-55 dimes with arrows also are relatively common, but the 1853 dime
without arrows has a mintage of only 95,000 and is one of the scarcer
Stars Obverse dimes. Other scarce issues include 1846, 1856-S, 1858-S and
1859-S. Branch-mint examples were struck at both New Orleans and San
Francisco, and their "O" or "S" mintmarks can be found
on the reverse, above the bow of the wreath.
Although the entire Stars Obverse dime production from 1838 to 1853 and
again from 1856 through 1860 totaled over 51 million pieces, mintages
varied widely, from a low of 31,300 in 1846 to over 5.7 million in 1856.
Proofs were made for public sale in 1858 and 1859 but also are known for
earlier dates. Included is an 1841 dime that lacks drapery (this was
unintentional, as excessive die-polishing removed it almost completely).
In 1860, the Mint removed the stars from the dime, replacing them with
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA along the obverse border. To fill the void left
on the reverse by this motto's departure, the old wreath was replaced with
a larger one. Patterns were struck in 1859 with the old obverse (having
stars along the border) and the new reverse. These
"transitional" pieces are quite rare and noteworthy in that they
lack any mention of the nation's identity.
The San Francisco Mint struck 140,000 Seated Liberty dimes with stars
in 1860, ringing down the curtain on this interesting sub-series.
Otherwise, all Seated Liberty dimes from 1860 onward, right to the end of
the series in 1891, have UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the obverse. In 1892,
the Barber dime made its debut, along with its companion quarter and half
dollar.
Seated Liberty dimes with the Stars Obverse exist in substantial
numbers in grade levels up to Mint State-64. The supply thins out
considerably in MS-65 and drops sharply in levels of MS-66 and above.
Points to check for wear include Liberty's breast and knee and the tips of
the leaves on the wreath.
A complete set of Stars Obverse dimes consists of nearly three dozen
pieces and, while that is not excessively long, this group is collected
most often by type, rather than by date and mint. It is, after all, just
one part of the complete Seated Liberty dime series, and the series as a
whole spanned more than half a century.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Diameter: 17.9 millimeters Weight: 2.67 grams (2.49 grams starting in
1853) Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper Edge: Reeded Net Weight:
.07725 ounce pure silver (.07204 after reduction)
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ahwash, Kamal M., Encyclopedia of United
States Liberty Seated Dimes 1837-1891, Kamal Press, Wallingford, PA, 1974.
Bowers, Q. David, United States Dimes, Quarters and Half Dollars, 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. Greer, Brian, The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Dimes, DLRC
Press, Virginia Beach, VA, 1992. Taxay, Don, The U.S. Mint and Coinage,
Arco Publishing Co., New York, 1966.
Coin Information Provided Courtesy NGC.
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