Years
Designer
Christian Gobrecht
Composition
90% silver, 10% copper
Diameter
15.5 mm
Mass
1.24 g
Thickness
0.8 mm
Edge
Reeded
Mints
Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco
Metal
Silver
Design
Gobrecht’s Seated Liberty. Subtypes: no stars (1837–38), stars, arrows 1853–55, legend on obverse from 1860. The 1860 reverse redesign moved UNITED STATES OF AMERICA off the reverse wreath.
History
Killed by the Coinage Act of 1873, which replaced the half dime with the copper-nickel five-cent piece. 1846, 1853-O no arrows, and Civil War dates (1863–67) are the keys. San Francisco 1867-S through 1873-S circulated hard on the Pacific coast.
Key dates
93 issues