1859 Seated Liberty Half Dime

About This Coin

The 1859 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — 23rd of 37 years in the series. In 1859, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 900,800. This ranks 11th of 37 years by total mintage, below 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. Struck during the California Gold Rush era, when vast quantities of western gold transformed the American economy and led to new denominations. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 1.24 grams, 15.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $32 to $43K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $46K in PR64 grade at Stack's. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes and Christian Gobrecht.