1873 Half Dime Patterns

About This Coin

Like its two-cent counterpart, the 1873 Half Dime Patterns from the Trade Dollar Era Patterns (1871-1873) were produced at the Philadelphia Mint during the same year the denomination was permanently discontinued by the Coinage Act of 1873. This legislation ended the silver half dime, replacing it with the copper-nickel five-cent piece introduced in 1866. William Barber's obverse features the seated Liberty facing left with olive branch and wheat sheaf, offering a redesign of a denomination in production since 1837 under the Seated Liberty motif. The reverse displays an eagle perched on a bale of goods with olive branch and three arrows, applying the Trade Dollar era's unified design language to what proved the denomination's final pattern production. A notable result of $13K in PR65 grade at Heritage Auctions demonstrates sustained interest in these terminal-denomination patterns. For numismatic historians, the 1873 Half Dime Patterns preserve Barber's artistic vision for a coin that ceased to exist before his designs could be considered for production — the only surviving record of what the half dime might have looked like had it continued.