A Seated Liberty dime, struck from 1837 to 1891, is worth about $12-25 in worn condition for a common date as of late 2026. That is well above its silver: each one holds 0.0723 troy ounces, about $4.20 at $58 silver, and even a worn common date carries a collector premium over that. The common dates are mostly from the 1850s with arrows and from 1875 to 1891, when the Mint struck millions a year. Scarcer dates bring about $30-200 in worn grades, and a short list of true rarities bring far more: the 1844 and 1846 about $200-400 in Good, the 1856-S, 1858-S and 1859-S about $300-450, the 1860-O about $900 and up, and the Carson City dimes of 1871 to 1874 several thousand dollars even worn. Uncirculated common dates sell for about $150-400.
In other words, a Seated dime is never just silver, but most are not rare either. The date and the mint mark decide which group a coin belongs to, and the amount of wear sets the price within that group.
Quick answer
- Common dates, worn: about $12-25. Fine to Extremely Fine: about $16-60. Uncirculated: about $150-400.
- Silver content: about $4.20 per coin at $58 silver, the floor for any Seated dime.
- Scarce dates in Good: 1844 and 1846 about $200-400; 1856-S, 1858-S, 1859-S about $300-450; 1860-O about $900+.
- Carson City 1871-CC to 1874-CC: roughly $1,800-10,000 in low grades, more above that.
- The unique 1873-CC without arrows sold for $3.6 million in 2023. It is not in anyone's jar.
How to identify and value a Seated Liberty dime, step by step
- Confirm the design. Liberty sits on a rock, holding a pole with a cap in one hand and resting the other on a shield with LIBERTY across it. The reverse shows ONE DIME inside a wreath. The later Barber dime shows a head facing right instead of a seated figure.
- Sort by type. The 1837 and 1838-O have no stars on the obverse. From 1838 to 1860 there are thirteen stars around the rim, and from 1840 there is extra drapery at Liberty's elbow. From 1860 the stars were replaced by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on the obverse, and the reverse wreath became larger. These types matter for pricing, because the no stars coins are scarce in any grade.
- Check for arrows. Small arrows on each side of the date mark the weight changes of 1853 to 1855 and 1873 to 1874. The arrows dates of the 1850s are among the most common in the series.
- Find the mint mark. It is on the reverse, inside or below the wreath, above or under the bow. O is New Orleans, S is San Francisco, CC is Carson City. No letter means Philadelphia. On the 1875-CC the mark appears either inside or below the wreath, and both are listed.
- Look up the date and mint together. An 1860 from Philadelphia is common; an 1860-O is a key. An 1874 is common; an 1874-CC is one of the great rarities in American coinage. The date alone never settles it.
- Judge the wear. The word LIBERTY on the shield is the quick test. If all seven letters are readable, the coin is Fine or better. Partly visible letters mean Very Good, and none means Good or lower. Above Fine, look at the drapery folds and the leaves of the wreath.
- Check for problems. Holes, bends, scratches and cleaning are common on 19th century silver, and they cut the price, often to near melt on common dates. A bright, shiny worn coin has usually been polished.
- Price from sold results for the exact date, mint mark and grade. For anything that looks scarce, look at auction records for coins in a grading service holder.
What Seated Liberty dimes sell for
Retail-level figures as of late 2026 from current price guides and recorded sales. Dealers buying common coins pay less than this, and the very rare dates trade so seldom that figures are approximate.
| Date or group | Mintage | Good (G4) | Fine (F12) | Extremely Fine (XF40) | Uncirculated (MS63) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common dates, 1875-1891 | Millions each | $12-25 | $16-30 | $25-50 | $250-400 |
| 1853-1855 with arrows | 2-12 million | $14-30 | $20-40 | $55-120 | $800-1,100 |
| 1837 no stars | 682,500 | $60-70 | $130-155 | $385-610 | $2,000-2,500 |
| 1838-O no stars | 406,034 | $100-130 | $200-230 | $900-1,000 | $6,000-7,000 |
| 1839-1842 stars, Philadelphia | About 1-2 million | $30-45 | $55-85 | $250-400 | $1,000-1,700 |
| 1844 "Orphan Annie" | 72,500 | $200-275 | $350 | $1,200-1,300 | $14,000 |
| 1846 | 31,300 | $250-400 | $700 | $2,000-2,100 | $60,000 |
| 1856-S, 1858-S, 1859-S | 60,000-70,000 | $300-450 | $600-1,000 | $2,800-3,500 | $18,000-37,000 |
| 1860-O | 40,000 | $900-1,000 | $1,500 | $4,000 | $35,000+ |
| 1863-1867 Philadelphia | 6,000-15,000 | $1,000-1,100 | $1,400-1,500 | $2,000-2,200 | $3,400-4,000 |
| 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC arrows | 18,000-35,000 | $1,800-3,600 | Thin sales | $25,000-35,000 | Six figures |
| 1874-CC | 10,817 | $8,000-10,000 | Thin sales | $45,000 | Six figures |
| 1885-S | 43,690 | $900-1,000 | $1,500 | $2,800 | $11,000 |
The Philadelphia dimes of 1863 to 1867 are an odd group: they were struck in tiny numbers during the Civil War when silver did not circulate, so worn ones are rare, but the few uncirculated ones that survived are not much more expensive. Proof Seated dimes were struck most years for collectors and sell for about $500-1,000 and more in decent grades, with the early ones higher. The 1873-CC without arrows is unique, and it sold for $3.6 million at Heritage in January 2023.
What changes the price
| Factor | Effect on value |
|---|---|
| Date and mint mark | The first sort: common dates sit near $12-25 worn, keys run to four figures |
| LIBERTY on the shield | Full and readable means Fine or better and often doubles a worn common date |
| Original toning | Gray or golden toning is normal and preferred; polished coins lose much of their premium |
| Holes, bends, heavy scratches | Common dates fall close to $4-8; keys lose half or more |
| Altered or added mint marks | Added CC, O or S marks exist on key dates; the coin is then worth only the common date |
| Strong strike and luster | Separates uncirculated coins from AU, often a multiple on the price |
| Listed varieties | Repunched dates, doubled dies and the 1891-O horizontal O carry premiums for specialists |
| Grading service holder | Expected by buyers for keys, CC coins and anything uncirculated |
Common mistakes
- Valuing it as silver only. At about $4.20 of metal, even a worn Seated dime sells for more as a collector coin. Do not sell common dates by weight to a melt buyer.
- Thinking every Seated dime is rare because it is old. Millions of 1875 to 1891 dimes survive. They are lovely coins and they are common.
- Missing the mint mark. It is small and sits low on the reverse, and on worn coins it can be faint. Use a loupe before you decide a coin is Philadelphia.
- Trusting a CC on a worn coin without checking. Added mint marks on key dates are a known problem. A Carson City dime of 1871 to 1874 should go to a grading service before anyone pays for it.
- Calling a worn coin Fine because it looks old and nice. Grade comes from the shield and the drapery, not from how the coin feels in the hand.
- Cleaning it. Polishing a 150-year-old dime removes the surface collectors pay for. Our guide on whether you should clean old coins covers the damage.
How WorthPic reads Seated Liberty dime photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. For a Seated dime it reads the date, checks for stars or the legend around the obverse and for arrows at the date, which together place the coin in its type, and finds the mint mark in or under the wreath. It judges wear from how much of LIBERTY on the shield remains and from the drapery and wreath detail, notes holes, scratches and cleaning, and gives an honest value range for that date and mint in that condition. It cannot be sure from a photo that a mint mark is original or that the surface has not been retoned, and it says so plainly on any key date, especially the Carson City coins. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The obverse straight on, filling the frame in even light, so the date and the shield are readable.
- The reverse straight on, with the whole wreath and the area under the bow visible for the mint mark.
- The mint mark close up, and a second shot at an angle, which shows whether the letter sits naturally in the field.
- The date close up, to catch arrows, repunching and any tooling.
- The shield close up, where LIBERTY tells the grade on a worn coin.
- The edge, if the coin has been in jewelry or shows a seam or file marks.
When to get it looked at in person
A coin dealer or a local club can sort a group of worn common-date Seated dimes in minutes, and most dealers will buy them at a fair premium over silver. For the scarce dates in the table, the no stars coins, any coin that looks uncirculated, and above all any CC dime from 1871 to 1874, send it to PCGS or NGC. They confirm the date and mint mark are genuine and assign a grade, which is what serious buyers pay for. Fees run about $20-60 per coin, which is easy to justify for a coin that may be worth hundreds or thousands. For rarer pieces, a major auction house such as Heritage or Stack's Bowers reaches the specialists who collect the series by date and mint. If you have a mix of old dimes, our guide to what dimes are worth money sorts every type, and the coin grading scale explains the grades. The design that followed in 1916 is covered in our Mercury dime value guide.