1840 Seated Liberty Dime
Base
About This Coin
The 1840 Seated Liberty Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 series — an early issue, 4th of 55 years in the series. In 1840, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 2.5 million. This ranks 32nd of 55 years by total mintage, above the series median of 2.1 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 (through 1859) or a wreath enclosing ONE DIME with the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1860-1891). Minted during the age of Jacksonian democracy and the rise of the common man, as new branch mints opened in Charlotte, Dahlonega, and New Orleans. Struck in white metal, weighing 2.67 grams, 17.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $78 to $18K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $46K in MS65 grade at Bowers & Merena. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes and Christian Gobrecht.
Value Estimates
Values as of May 2026 — range across all strike types, reflecting typical grades (G-4 through MS-63). Coins in lower or exceptional grades may fall outside this range.
