1855 Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 2,075,000 made
- Mintage
- 2,075,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.49 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 1855 Seated Liberty Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0720 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 1855 Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- No. 2.1 million were made, a typical run for the series. Condition and varieties decide its value, not the date.
- Is the 1855 Seated Liberty Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0720 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1855 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.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1855 are scarcer?
- The 1853 at 95,000, the 1859 at 430,000, the 1860 at 606,000, plus 4 more. So the 1855 is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1855 Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 2,075,000.
What to check on your 1855
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- 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 1855
Philadelphia made 2,075,000 in 1855, down from 4.5 million in 1854. The next year it made 5.8 million (1856).
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1855 you find is from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struck the Seated Liberty Dime in 59 issues between 1837 and 1891. By mintage this one lands in the more common half, while the key for that mint is the 1867 (6,000). Within the 1850s it's 19th smallest of 23, between the 1850 (1.9 million) and the 1854 (4.5 million).
Arrows mark a lighter dime (1853 to 1855)
The Act of February 21, 1853 solved the silver problem by making the coins lighter. The dime dropped from 2.67 to 2.49 grams, so its silver was once again worth less than its face value and it could circulate freely. The same law limited the amount of silver coin anyone had to accept in a single payment, which made the dime a subsidiary coin. To show the change, small arrowheads were placed on either side of the date. Unlike the quarter and half dollar, the dime got no rays on the reverse. Before the new dies were ready, Philadelphia struck 95,000 dimes at the old weight without arrows. Those coins are scarce today.
Once the arrows dies arrived, Philadelphia struck 12,078,010 dimes in 1853, a total no later Seated dime topped until 1891. New Orleans added 1,100,000 that year and 1,770,000 in 1854. Philadelphia struck 4,470,000 in 1854 and 2,075,000 in 1855. New Orleans made no dimes in 1855. The flood of new coins finally gave the country enough small change after years of shortage.
Arrows dimes are among the most available Seated dimes from before the Civil War. They make a popular type coin because the arrows stay visible even on heavily worn pieces. Check both sides of the date for them. An 1853 without arrows is the coin to look for, since its mintage was less than one percent of the arrows total.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1855
Arrows beside the date marked the reduced-weight silver coins for the last time. The San Francisco Mint struck its first silver coins: quarters and half dollars.
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 | 1855 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 2,075,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.49 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0720 troy oz (2.241 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.