1863 Seated Liberty Half Dime
Base
About This Coin
The 1863 Seated Liberty Half Dime is a United States dime from the Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 series — 27th of 37 years in the series. In 1863, coins were struck at the San Francisco and Philadelphia Mints with a combined mintage of 118,460. This represents the second-lowest annual mintage in the series, below 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. Civil War era. Very low mintage (18,000) as silver coins were hoarded. The 1863-S is more available from San Francisco. 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 $58 to $1.4K depending on mint mark, grade, and strike type. A notable auction result reached $24K in MS67+ grade at Legend Rare Coin 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.
Specifications
Strike Types & Varieties(3)
1863 (S) Seated Liberty Half Dime
1863 Proof Seated Liberty Half Dime
1863 Seated Liberty Half Dime
Other Base Coins in This Series
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