1876-S Seated Liberty Dime
Circulation strike struck at the San Francisco Mint · 10,420,000 made
- Mintage
- 10,420,000
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 2.5 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 1876-S Seated Liberty Dime worth?
In worn condition it trades for about its silver content, 0.0723 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 1876-S Seated Liberty Dime rare?
- No. With 10 million made, it's one of the most common Seated Liberty Dimes.
- Is the 1876-S Seated Liberty Dime silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0723 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1876 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 S, for San Francisco.
- Which San Francisco dates near 1876 are scarcer?
- The 1872-S at 190,000, the 1874-S at 240,000, the 1871-S at 320,000, plus 3 more. So the 1876-S is one of the easier dates of its stretch.
- How many 1876-S Seated Liberty Dime coins were made?
- 10,420,000.
What to check on your 1876-S
- Make sure the mint mark really is an S. A worn or filled mark can be misread. It's what separates your coin from the 1876-CC (8.3 million made).
- Don't clean it. Cleaning leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1876 Seated Liberty Dime Proof (1,150 made) is the one to compare with.
- 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 1876-S
San Francisco made 10,420,000 in 1876, up from 9.1 million in 1875. In 1877 the figure was 2.3 million.
1876-CC came to 8.3 million and 1876 came to 11 million, so neither mint's 1876 coin is much scarcer than the other.
Of the 29 Seated Liberty Dimes San Francisco struck between 1856 and 1891, none was made in bigger numbers. The scarcest San Francisco issue is the 1885-S at 43,690. Within the 1870s it's 28th smallest of 29, between the 1875 (10 million) and the 1876 (11 million).
Millions of dimes to replace paper change (1875 to 1878)
The Specie Resumption Act of 1875 set out to replace the small paper notes of the Civil War with silver coin. The result was the largest dime production the country had yet seen. In 1875 Philadelphia struck 10,350,000, San Francisco 9,070,000 and Carson City 4,645,000. In 1876 the totals were 11,460,000, 10,420,000 and 8,270,000. Carson City struck 7,700,000 in 1877, more than Philadelphia's 7,310,000 that year. The arrows were removed in 1875, but the 2.50 gram weight remained.
The 1875-S and 1875-CC come with the mint mark in two places. On some coins it sits inside the wreath above the bow and on others it is below the bow, so check where yours falls. An 1876-CC doubled die obverse is also known to specialists. These huge runs make 1875 to 1877 the most common Seated dimes, including the Carson City dates. Carson City's 8,270,000 dimes of 1876 were its largest dime coinage of any year. Most of the small paper notes were exchanged for silver in these years.
By 1878 the demand had been met. Philadelphia struck 1,677,200 and Carson City only 200,000, its last dimes. San Francisco made none. If you have a dime from these years, it is likely a common date, but look closely at the mint mark for the scarcer positions and at the date and lettering for doubling.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1876
The United States celebrated its centennial. The twenty-cent piece was struck for circulation for the last time. The quarter and half dollar were struck in very large numbers.
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 | 1876 |
| Mint | San Francisco Mint |
| Mint mark | "S" |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 10,420,000 |
| Face value | 10¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 2.5 grams |
| Diameter | 17.9 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0723 troy oz (2.250 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1876 Seated Liberty Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 Seated Liberty Dime | 11,460,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1876 Seated Liberty Dime Proof | 1,150 | Proof | 0.0723 oz |
| 1876-S Seated Liberty Dime | 10,420,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1876-CC Seated Liberty Dime | 8,270,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0723 oz |
| 1876-CC Seated Liberty Dime (Doubled Die Obverse) | – | Variety | 0.0723 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.