1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime Proof
Proof struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 500 made
- Mintage
- 500
- Metal
- 90% silver, 10% copper
- Weight
- 1.24 g
- Diameter
- 15.5 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 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime Proof worth?
Few coins in the series are harder to find. Even a worn 1865 sells well above face value. The flip side is that counterfeits and altered dates are common, so authentication matters.
What would make yours worth more:
- Grade and, for proofs, strong cameo contrast
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime Proof rare?
- Fairly. The Mint made 500 for collectors. Most were kept in their original packaging.
- Is the 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime Proof silver?
- Yes. It's 90% silver, 10% copper and holds 0.0359 troy ounces of pure silver.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime?
- On the reverse, below the bow of the wreath or inside the wreath, depending on the year. Philadelphia coins have no mint mark.
- How many 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime proofs were made?
- 500.
What to check on your 1865
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Judge the grade under good light. LIBERTY on the shield wears first; a full LIBERTY marks Fine or better. These tiny coins are often bent, cleaned or holed.
Proofs from 1865 were struck one at a time in small numbers and many were later spent or mishandled. Look for hairlines from cleaning, which lower the grade.
The story of the 1865
Civil War scarcity and the first San Francisco half dimes (1863 to 1867)
With silver hoarded in the East, Philadelphia struck very few half dimes for circulation. The totals were 18,000 in 1863, 48,000 in 1864, 13,000 in 1865, 10,000 in 1866 and 8,000 in 1867. Every one of these dates is a key and a significant rarity in any grade. The 1867, at 8,000, has the lowest business strike mintage of any regular Seated half dime. Fractional currency notes in denominations as low as three cents did the work these coins would normally have done. Philadelphia also struck proofs each year, from 460 to 725, so a proof is sometimes easier to find than a business strike.
San Francisco struck its first half dimes in 1863, a total of 100,000. Gold and silver still circulated in California during the war, so S coins went straight into use. San Francisco made 90,000 in 1864 and 120,000 a year from 1865 to 1867. These S dates are scarce but much more available than the Philadelphia coins, though most survivors are well worn.
Because the Philadelphia dates are so rare, check any of them carefully. Confirm the date has not been altered and that no mint mark has been removed. Proofs have deep mirror fields and sharp rims. Business strikes have frosty luster or normal wear. For the S coins, look near the bow of the wreath for the small S.
Elsewhere in US coinage in 1865
The three-cent nickel piece was introduced to replace paper three-cent notes and the motto "In God We Trust" was authorized for all coins large enough to carry it.
How to recognize it
Liberty sits on a rock with her right hand on a shield crossed by a scroll reading LIBERTY and her left hand holding a pole topped by a liberty cap. The 1837 and 1838-O half dimes show nothing else on the obverse but the date. From 1838 to 1859 thirteen stars ring the design and from 1860 they are replaced by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Drapery falls from her left elbow on coins from late 1840 on. Arrows beside the date mark the lighter coins of 1853 to 1855. Until 1859 the reverse shows HALF DIME inside a laurel wreath circled by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. From 1860 a cereal wreath of corn, wheat, maple and oak leaves surrounds HALF DIME alone. Mint marks for New Orleans and San Francisco are on the reverse near the bow.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Seated Liberty Half Dime (1837–1873) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Proof |
| Mintage | 500 |
| Face value | 5¢ |
| Composition | 90% silver, 10% copper |
| Weight | 1.24 grams |
| Diameter | 15.5 mm |
| Edge | Reeded |
| Silver content | 0.0359 troy oz (1.116 g) |
| Designer | Christian Gobrecht |
Other 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime | 13,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0359 oz |
| 1865 Seated Liberty Half Dime Proof | 500 | Proof | 0.0359 oz |
| 1865-S Seated Liberty Half Dime | 120,000 | Circulation strike | 0.0359 oz |
Mintage: US Mint records as published in standard references, each figure checked against at least two independent sources. How we build these pages.