U.S. Mint coin reference

1853–1855: Liberty Seated Silver Half Dime (Variety 2A: Arrows at Date)

Seated Liberty half dime series.

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1853 Liberty Seated Silver Half Dime Arrows at Date obverse and reverse

Coin specifications and design

Years made: 1853-1855

Country: United States

Denomination: Half dime

Category: Circulating coin

Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper

Silver fineness: 90%

Weight: 1.24 g

Diameter: 15.5 mm

Thickness: Approx. 0.8 mm

Edge: Reeded

Designer: Christian Gobrecht design; later relief revisions associated with Robert Ball Hughes

Design identification

Obverse: Liberty seated on a rock holding shield and pole.

1853–1855: Liberty Seated Silver Half Dime (Variety 2A: Arrows at Date) history

1853–1855: Liberty Seated Silver Half Dime (Variety 2A: Arrows at Date) uses arrows beside the date to signal the reduced subsidiary-silver weight authorized in 1853. Unlike the quarter and half dollar, the dime and half dime did not use a rays-around-eagle reverse.

The half dime uses arrows beside the 1853-1855 dates without reverse rays. The tiny 1.24-gram standard and HALF DIME legend separate it from the visually related dime.