1842-O Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the New Orleans Mint · 2,020,000 made
- Mintage
- 2,020,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.67 g
- Diameter
- 17.9 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1842-O Seated Liberty Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0773 troy ounces. Uncirculated coins with full luster or attractive toning sell for more.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- A die variety or minting error
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1842-O Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- No. 2 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1842-O Seated Liberty Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0773 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1842 Seated Liberty Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath or inside the wreath, depending on the year. Philadelphia dimes have no mint mark. On this coin the mark is O, for New Orleans.
- Which New Orleans dates near 1842 are scarcer?
- The 1843-O at 150,000, the 1845-O at 230,000, the 1838-O at 406,034, plus 3 more. So the 1842-O is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1842-O Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 2,020,000.
What to check on your 1842-O
- Make sure the mint mark really is a O. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1842 (1.9 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the shield is the key: a full, readable LIBERTY marks a coin in Fine or better. Then check Liberty's head and knee.
Circulated examples are usually traded for their silver content. Pick out the best ones: original luster and attractive toning lift a coin above melt, while cleaned coins lose most of their collector value.
The story of the 1842-O
At 2,020,000, the 1842 run at New Orleans was close to the 1841 figure. The next year it made 150,000 (1843-O).
1842 came to 1.9 million, so neither mint's 1842 coin is much scarcer than the other.
New Orleans struck the Seated Liberty Dime in 19 issues between 1838 and 1891. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1860-O (40,000). No Seated Liberty Dime of the 1840s had a bigger run.
New Orleans at full stride and the 1844 (1841 to 1845)
With the drapery design settled, both mints turned out dimes in volume. New Orleans passed two million in 1841 and again in 1842, striking 2,007,500 and 2,020,000, more than Philadelphia managed in either year. Philadelphia stayed between 1,370,000 and 1,887,500 from 1841 to 1843 and reached 1,755,000 in 1845. Proofs of these years were struck only in tiny numbers and are almost never seen. For ordinary dates of this stretch, a worn coin is a common sight and an easy addition to a set.
The scarce coins come from the dips. New Orleans made only 150,000 dimes in 1843 and none at all in 1844. Its 1845-O run of 230,000 is also elusive, especially with a full shield. The great rarity of the era is the Philadelphia 1844, with just 72,500 struck. Collectors have long called it Little Orphan Annie. Few were saved at the time and it is hard to find in any grade.
Dimes of 1841 to 1845 often turn up with heavy wear, scratches or old cleaning. Read the date carefully on an 1844, since a 4 can be faked on another year. Then judge the grade by the word LIBERTY on the shield: if every letter is clear, the coin is at least Fine. For the New Orleans issues, check that the O mint mark on the reverse is sharp and sits cleanly in the field.
How to recognize it
Liberty sits on a rock, her right hand resting on a shield crossed by a scroll reading LIBERTY. Her left hand holds a pole topped by a liberty cap and the date is below. The 1837 and 1838-O coins have nothing else on the obverse. From 1838 to 1860 thirteen stars surround her and from 1860 the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA take their place. Drapery hangs from her left elbow on coins from late 1840 on. Arrows flank the date on most dimes of 1853 to 1855 and of 1873 to 1874. The reverse shows ONE DIME inside a laurel wreath ringed by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA until 1860. After that a larger cereal wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves surrounds the words. Branch mint marks are on the reverse near the bow.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Dime (1837–1891) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1842 |
| Mint | New Orleans Mint |
| Mint mark | "O" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,020,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.67 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0773 troy oz (2.403 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1842 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1842 Seated Liberty Dime | 1,887,500 | Circulation strike | 0.0773 oz |
| 1842-O Seated Liberty Dime | 2,020,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0773 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.