Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873

About This Series

Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design on the half dime accompanied this diminutive silver coin through its final thirty-seven years before the denomination was permanently replaced by the Shield nickel. Multiple subtypes create a structured collecting framework: No Stars (1837-1838), Stars (1838-1859), Arrows indicating weight reduction (1853-1855), and Legend obverse replacing stars with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1860-1873). Each transition documents a specific policy decision — Stars aligned with standard Seated Liberty aesthetics, Arrows signaled the 1853 weight reduction, and the Legend type modernized the obverse. New Orleans half dimes struck before the facility's 1861 seizure by Confederate forces are notably scarce. The half dime's small 15.5 mm diameter made it vulnerable to loss, and many circulated examples show heavy wear from decades as the go-to five-cent coin. San Francisco issues from the 1860s-70s are collected for Western mint appeal. The series ended as the nation shifted toward base-metal five-cent coinage that could circulate without hoarding.

Series Information