1849 Seated Liberty Half Dime

About This Coin

The 1849 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — 13th of 37 years in the series. In 1849, coins were struck at the Philadelphia and New Orleans Mints with a combined mintage of 4.1 million. This ranks 30th 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. Gold Rush era. Half dimes circulated heavily as small change while gold flooded the economy. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 1.34 grams, 15.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Produced 3 years after the celebrated 1846 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $63 to $4.9K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $53K in PR66 grade at Legend Rare Coin Auctions. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes/Christian Gobrecht.