U.S. Mint coin reference

1860–1891: Liberty Seated Dime (Variety 3: Legend on Obverse)

Long-running Seated Liberty dime type.

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1860 Liberty Seated Dime Variety 3 Legend on Obverse obverse and reverse

Coin specifications and design

Years made: 1860-1891

Country: United States

Denomination: Ten cents

Category: Circulating coin

Composition: 90% silver, 10% copper

Silver fineness: 90%

Weight: 2.49 g through 1873 No Arrows; 2.50 g beginning with 1873 Arrows

Diameter: 17.9 mm

Thickness: Approx. 1.35 mm

Edge: Reeded

Designer: Christian Gobrecht / James B. Longacre arrows modifications

Design identification

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

1860–1891: Liberty Seated Dime (Variety 3: Legend on Obverse) history

1860–1891: Liberty Seated Dime (Variety 3: Legend on Obverse) moves the national legend to the obverse and replaces the simple reverse wreath with an agricultural wreath. The design spans Civil War coinage, the 1873 weight adjustment, and the denomination’s later branch-mint issues.

Coins through early 1873 use the 2.49-gram standard; arrows mark the change to 2.50 grams in 1873–1874. Later no-arrows pieces retain the new standard through 1891.