1853 Seated Liberty Half Dime

About This Coin

The 1853 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — 17th of 37 years in the series. In 1853, coins were struck at the New Orleans and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 15.7 million. This represents the highest annual mintage in the entire series, 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. Arrows added at the date to denote the reduced silver weight mandated by the Act of February 21, 1853. High production to replace hoarded older coins. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, 15.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Collectors have identified 2 known die varieties for this date, including atypical die clash. Produced 7 years after the celebrated 1846 key date. Across its variants, estimated values range from $32 to $75K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $96K in PR64 grade at Stack's Bowers. Designed by Robert Ball Hughes/Christian Gobrecht.