1837 Seated Liberty Half Dime

About This Coin

The 1837 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — the first year of the series. In 1837, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 2.8 million. This ranks 28th of 37 years by total mintage, above the series median of 1.6 million. The obverse features Liberty seated on a rock, holding a pole surmounted by a Phrygian liberty cap in her left hand and a shield inscribed LIBERTY in her right and the reverse displays an agricultural wreath enclosing the denomination. First year of the Seated Liberty Half Dime, struck in No Stars format at Philadelphia. Also the first year with the new steam-powered coining press. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 1.34 grams, 15.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 9 years before the celebrated 1846 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $58 to $1.2K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $106K in PR67 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes and Christian Gobrecht.