Liberty Seated Dimes Varieties 1837-1891 - 1861 Philadelphia Variety Chapter Page

1861

Type I Obverse

Type II Obverse


Mintage: 1,884,000 (both obverse types)                                               Proofs: 1,000 Type II Obverse

Top 100	Var#	Obv	Rev	DR	Obverse / Reverse Quick Diagnostics	Ahwash	Greer
					Type I Obverse
*	101	1	A	1C	Rusted Die, Medium Date, Downward Slope / DScr In Lower Left Wreath	A-1
	102	2	B	1L	Medium Level Date, Clashed Die	A-2
	103	3	C	1R	Weak Date, Medium Level Date / Perfect Die
	104	4	D	1B2	Medium Level Date / Perfect Die
	104a	4.2	D	1B2	Clashed Die, Medium Level Date / Perfect Die
	105	5	E	1B2	High Level Date / Die Lines Wreath To Rim @ 4:30
	106	6	F	1R	Medium Level Date, Bold Date, 18 Nearly Touch / Perfect Die
	107	7	G	1L	Medium Level Date, Clashed Die / Heavily Clashed Die
					Type II Obverse
	101	1	A	1B2	Proof, Medium Date, Slight Upward Slope / Die Defect On DI(M)E
	102	1.2	B	1B2	Medium Date, Slight Upward Slope / Doubling On Upper Oak Leaves
	103	2	C	1R	Low Date, Upward Slope / Perfect Die	A-3
	104	3	D	1L	Medium Level Date, Die Scratch Shield Lines 2-5 / Perfect Die	A-4
*	105	4	E	1R	Medium Date, Up Slope, DD In Lower Shield / Rusted Reverse Die		G101
	106	4	F	1R	Medium Date, Up Slope, DD In Lower Shield / Die Lines Through DIM(E)
	107	5	G	1B2	Medium Date, Upward Slope / Doubled Right Ribbon
	108	6	H	0R	Date Left, Medium Date, Slight Downward Slope / Perfect Die
	109	7	I	1L	High Date, Slight Downward Slope / Doubling Right Wreath
	110	8	J	1B2	Medium Level Date / Perfect Die
	111	9	K	1C	Medium Date, Upward Slope / Perfect Die
	112	10	L	1C	Medium Date, Downward Slope / Perfect Die
	113	11	M	1C	Medium Level Date / Perfect Die


Variety Vs. Denticle Ruler Cross Reference Table

Scarcity: A common date in all grades except Mint State.  The Type I Obverse is more difficult to locate than the 
Type II Obverse, however it is still common below EF.
 
Updated Greer Rarity Ratings
Rarity Rating Type I: G-VG R1, F-VF R2-, EF-AU R2+, MS R4+
Rarity Rating Type II: G-VG R1, F-VF R1, EF-AU R2, MS R3
Overall Rarity: G-VG R1, F-VF R1, EF-AU R2, MS R3+

Fortin Variety Rarity Estimates In VF - Mint State

Variety	Rarity	Suggested Premiums	Variety	Rarity	Suggested Premiums
Type I - 101	R3	-	Type II - 104	R2	-
Type I - 102	R3	-	Type II - 105	R5	200-400%
Type I - 103	R4	-	Type II - 106	R3	-
Type I - 104	R2	-	Type II - 107	R2	-
Type I - 104a	R3	-	Type II - 108	R3	-
Type I - 105	R2	-	Type II - 109	R2	-
Type I - 106	R3	-	Type II - 110	R2	-
Type I - 107	R4	-	Type II - 111	R4	-
Type II - 101	R4	-	Type II - 112	R4	-
Type II - 102	R2	-	Type II - 113	R3	-
Type II - 103	R3	-


Comments: In 1861, Longacre changed the obverse hub to improve striking quality.  During that year, obverse 
dies were produced from both the Type I and Type II obverse hubs.  The old hub (Type I) of 1861 has 5 vertical 
lines in the upper part of the shield above the banner.  Liberty's index finger also fell on the outside of the 
left shield edge.  On the new hub (Type II) of 1861, there are 6 vertical lines above the banner.  Liberty's 
index finger points straight down along the left edge of the shield.  The letters on the Type I hub are thinner 
than the letters on the Type II hub.  Once a Seated dime collector becomes familiar with the appearance of the 
Type I and Type II obverse hubs from these diagnostics, it is rather simple to identify the hubs by the overall 
appearance of Liberty's upper body.  On the Type I hub, Liberty has a fully and more matronly figure while on 
the Type II hub, Liberty's upper body and arms are thinner.  
 
To date, 18 obverse dies have been identified as compared to a mintage of 1,884,000 pieces.  The average mintage 
per obverse die is about 100,000 dimes suggesting smaller production batch sizes and limited usage of the 
dies.  This finding is supported by the lack of late die state examples where die erosion and cracking becomes 
a problem. Die clashing is frequently seen on Type 1 coinage and this anomaly deserves additional research.
  
Value As A Date (Coin World Trends/CoinValues)

Grade	1963	1973	1983	1993	2003	2010
G	1	2.5	6	5.75	20	12
F	2	4	11	12.75	30	20
EF	-	15	40	38	40	40
MS60	10	90	300	150	200	200
MS63	-	-	-	370	350	300

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