1859 Liberty Seated Dime Coin Value: How Much Is It Worth?
A genuine 1859 Liberty Seated Dime can range from about $29 in well-worn Good-4 condition to several hundred dollars or more at Mint State grades, depending on which mint struck it. The San Francisco issue is the scarce one here, with guide estimates reaching into the tens of thousands at MS63.
Proofs, struck only at Philadelphia, carry their own separate pricing.
Fast Way to Identify Your 1859 Liberty Seated Dime
Snap clear photos of both the front and back of your dime and upload them for a preliminary identification. This helps confirm the date, mintmark, and design type so you can figure out which branch of the 1859 issue you actually have.
Good lighting and a steady hand go a long way.
1859 Liberty Seated Dime Value
Upload both sides of your 1859 Liberty Seated Dime.
Front Obverse
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Back Reverse
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Which 1859 Liberty Seated Dime Versions Are Worth Money?
- The 1859-S (San Francisco) is the key date here — guide estimates run from about $334 at G4 to $37,256 at MS63, reflecting genuinely low survival rates in higher grades.
- Philadelphia Proofs from 1859 are rare early-date collector pieces; a PR63 example carries a guide estimate around $1,526.
- The 1859-O (New Orleans) is more affordable but still a solid silver coin, with guide values from $29 at G4 up to about $1,067 at MS63.
- Original surfaces and correct mint and design attribution matter far more than a shiny appearance — cleaning destroys value.
- Check the error list below for a reported Misplaced Date variety, which can add a premium if genuine and clearly visible.
Step 1: Identify Your 1859 Liberty Seated Dime Mint Mark and Version
Start by confirming you have a seated Liberty on the obverse surrounded by stars, with ONE DIME inside a wreath on the reverse. Half dimes are smaller and a different denomination entirely, so do not mix them up.
Flip the coin over and look below the wreath for a mintmark. Philadelphia coins have no letter.
An "O" means New Orleans, and an "S" means San Francisco. That single letter changes value dramatically.
All three mints struck business-strike dimes in 1859 using the Stars obverse with drapery and the small wreath reverse with legend. The composition is 90% silver and 10% copper, with a diameter of 17.9 mm and a reeded edge.
Nominal weight is 2.49 grams.
You may hear about a transitional 1859 obverse / 1860 reverse pattern. That is a separate experimental issue, not a regular circulation coin or an ordinary mint error.
Do not confuse it with the normal production runs.
Step 2: Check Your 1859 Liberty Seated Dime Grade
Compare your coin's details against the correct subtype grading image. Focus on the shield lines on Liberty's body, the folds of her gown, her head and hair detail, and the condition of her feet.
On the reverse, check the wreath leaves for sharpness.
Wear from circulation is not the same thing as a weak original strike or deteriorated dies. A coin can look flat in one area because it was poorly struck, not because someone carried it for twenty years.
Judge remaining luster and surface quality alongside the amount of actual friction.
Proof coins have mirrored fields and were made with a different manufacturing process. A polished circulation coin is not a Proof, no matter how shiny it looks.
Keep Proof and Mint State evaluations completely separate.
Coin Value Lookup is a good starting point if you want to look up guides for other dates and denominations in the Seated Dime series. It can help you compare across years without hunting through multiple sites.
Step 3: Check 1859 Liberty Seated Dime Value by Mint and Version
1859 Liberty Seated Dime — No Mint Mark — Regular Issue
The 1859 Philadelphia dime has no mintmark. Look at the reverse below the wreath — if the space is empty, you have the Philly issue.
This is the Stars obverse with drapery, paired with the small wreath and legend reverse.
These are 90% silver, 10% copper, weighing about 2.49 grams. USA Coin Book guide estimates place this coin at roughly $29 in G4 and around $794 at MS63.
Condition matters a lot across that spread, so get the grade right before assuming value. The transitional 1859 obverse / 1860 reverse pattern is a separate experimental piece and not part of this regular Philadelphia issue.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PO PO 1
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Coin Identifier FR FR 2
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Coin Identifier AG AG 3
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Coin Identifier G G 4
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G 6
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Coin Identifier VG VG 8
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VG 10
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Coin Identifier F F 12
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F 15
Coin Identifier VF VF 20
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VF 25
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VF 30
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VF 35
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Coin Identifier XF XF 40
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XF 45
Coin Identifier AU AU 50
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AU 53
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AU 55
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AU 58
Coin Identifier MS MS 60
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MS 61
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MS 62
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MS 63
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MS 64
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MS 65
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MS 66
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MS 67
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MS 68
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MS 69
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MS 70
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1859 Liberty Seated Dime — O — Regular Issue
Look for a small "O" mintmark on the reverse, positioned below the wreath. That marks your coin as a product of the New Orleans Mint.
Same design as Philadelphia — Stars obverse with drapery, small wreath reverse with legend — and the same 90% silver composition at 2.49 grams.
Guide estimates from USA Coin Book put the 1859-O at about $29 in G4, climbing to roughly $1,067 at MS63. New Orleans coins sometimes show softer strikes than Philadelphia issues, so do not automatically downgrade for weak detail in isolated areas.
Confirm actual wear before assigning a grade.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PO PO 1
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Coin Identifier FR FR 2
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Coin Identifier AG AG 3
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Coin Identifier G G 4
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G 6
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Coin Identifier VG VG 8
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VG 10
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Coin Identifier F F 12
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F 15
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Coin Identifier VF VF 20
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VF 25
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VF 30
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VF 35
Coin Identifier XF XF 40
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XF 45
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Coin Identifier AU AU 50
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AU 53
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AU 55
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AU 58
Coin Identifier MS MS 60
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MS 61
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MS 62
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MS 63
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MS 64
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MS 65
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MS 66
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MS 67
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MS 68
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MS 69
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MS 70
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1859 Liberty Seated Dime — S — Regular Issue
This is the one that gets collectors' attention. The 1859-S carries an "S" mintmark below the reverse wreath, indicating the San Francisco Mint.
Same 90% silver alloy, same 2.49-gram target weight, same Stars with drapery obverse.
The survival rate in upper grades is extremely low. USA Coin Book guide estimates reflect this: about $334 at G4, jumping to a remarkable $37,256 at MS63.
That gap tells you how few nice examples exist. Even well-worn pieces carry a meaningful premium compared to the Philadelphia and New Orleans issues.
Authentication is especially important here because the value difference creates an incentive for counterfeits and altered mintmarks.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PO PO 1
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Coin Identifier FR FR 2
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Coin Identifier AG AG 3
Coin Identifier G G 4
Coin Identifier
G 6
Coin Identifier VG VG 8
Coin Identifier
VG 10
Coin Identifier F F 12
Coin Identifier
F 15
Coin Identifier VF VF 20
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VF 25
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VF 30
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VF 35
Coin Identifier XF XF 40
Coin Identifier
XF 45
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Coin Identifier AU AU 50
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AU 53
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AU 55
Coin Identifier
AU 58
Coin Identifier MS MS 60
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MS 61
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MS 62
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MS 63
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MS 64
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MS 65
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MS 66
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MS 67
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MS 68
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MS 69
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MS 70
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1859 Liberty Seated Dime — No Mint Mark — Proof Regular Issue
Philadelphia also produced Proof dimes in 1859, struck with polished dies on specially prepared planchets. These show deeply mirrored fields when tilted under a light.
No mintmark, just like the business strike, so the finish itself is how you tell them apart.
Early-date Proofs like this were made in small numbers and are not the mass-produced collector products that came later in the series. A PCGS guide estimate places PR63 examples around $1,526.
Do not confuse a polished or cleaned circulation coin for a Proof — genuine Proof surfaces have a distinctive reflective quality in the fields that cleaning cannot replicate. Hairlines from mishandling reduce Proof grades quickly, so surface preservation is critical.
Range Grade
Price Auction Records Appraisal PR PR 1
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PR 2
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PR 3
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PR 4
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PR 6
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PR 8
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PR 10
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PR 12
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PR 15
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PR 20
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PR 25
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PR 30
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PR 35
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PR 40
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PR 45
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PR 50
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PR 53
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PR 55
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PR 58
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PR 60
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PR 61
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PR 62
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PR 63
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PR 64
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PR 65
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PR 66
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PR 67
Coin Identifier
PR 68
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PR 69
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PR 70
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1859 Liberty Seated Dime Error List
1. 1859 Liberty Seated Dime — Misplaced Date
A Misplaced Date variety is reported for the 1859 dime. The diagnostic to look for is a fragment of a numeral — specifically an extra "9" — visible in the gown area next to the scroll, away from where the date normally sits.
This happened when a date punch landed in the wrong spot before being corrected.
To confirm it, compare the shape and position of the stray digit against published references for this specific variety. Scratches and contact marks can mimic digit shapes, so look for consistent punch geometry rather than random lines.
Machine doubling, which leaves flat shelf-like traces near the date, is also not the same thing.
No specific price data is available for this variety in the supplied references. Value depends on how visible the misplaced digit is, the coin's overall condition, and collector demand for the specific variety.
A professional attribution from a grading service helps establish legitimacy if you believe you have one.
