1861 Seated Liberty Dime
Base
About This Coin
The 1861 Seated Liberty Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 series — 25th of 55 years in the series. In 1861, coins were struck at the San Francisco and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 2.1 million. This ranks 28th of 55 years by total mintage, at 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). Produced during the Civil War, when coin hoarding caused severe shortages and the Mint experimented with new compositions to keep coins in circulation. Struck in 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing 2.48 grams, 17.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $24 to $23K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $50K in MS66 grade at Heritage Auctions. Designed by James Barton Longacre.
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.
