1861 Seated Liberty Half Dime
Base
About This Coin
The 1861 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — 25th of 37 years in the series. In 1861, coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint with a combined mintage of 3.4 million. This ranks 29th 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. 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 1.24 grams, 15.9 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Across its variants, estimated values range from $45 to $1.0K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $16K in MS67+ 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.
