1853 Seated Liberty Dime With Arrows, Philadelphia Mint, 90% Silver, 0.0721 oz Silver, First Year of the Arrows at Date Type (1853-1855) Marking the Weight Cut of the Coinage Act of 1853, Full Rims, Bold Date, Arrows and Stars, Original Never-Cleaned Surfaces, Christian Gobrecht Design, KM#77 [Est. G-6]
Description
An 1853 Seated Liberty dime with arrows at the date, struck at the Philadelphia Mint (no mint mark), KM#77. The obverse shows Liberty seated on a rock with a shield and a liberty cap on a pole, 13 stars around, and arrows on either side of the date. The reverse shows ONE DIME within a laurel wreath, with UNITED STATES OF AMERICA around. 90% silver, 2.49 grams standard, 17.9 mm, reeded edge. Tested on a Sigma Metalytics precious metal verifier: reading consistent with silver. The close-ups show the date with arrows, Liberty, ONE DIME and the wreath bow.
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Historical Context
Christian Gobrecht's Seated Liberty design appeared on the dime from 1837 to 1891. By 1853 the flood of California gold had made the silver in coins worth more than their face value, so silver coins were melted or hoarded and disappeared from circulation. The Coinage Act of 1853 cut the dime from 2.67 to 2.49 grams, and the Mint placed arrows beside the date from 1853 to 1855 to mark the new lighter standard. Philadelphia struck about 12 million arrows dimes in 1853, against only 95,000 of the 1853 No Arrows dimes struck before the change.
Buying Power
In 1853 this dime had the buying power of about $4.38 today.
Condition
[Est. G-6] Circulated, original and never cleaned, with even gray toning and some light brown toning in the obverse fields. Full rims on both sides; the date, arrows, stars and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA are bold and clear, and the reverse wreath still shows leaf detail. LIBERTY on the shield is worn away, as is usual at this grade. A small rim nick at about 2 o'clock on the reverse and a few light scratches, including one across the right side of the wreath (see the close-ups). Checked for the 1853 repunched date (FS-1301): none seen. Grade estimated; not professionally graded. Currently still legal tender, but its silver content and collector value are far higher than face value.
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Disclaimer
The images and any video show the actual item and are part of the official listing description, so please review them closely. Measurements and weights are approximate, and any maker or material we haven't confirmed is described as assumed. Questions? Message us; we answer quickly.