1842

The 1842 Philadelphia dime continues the Stars With Drapery subtype that had become standard the previous year, with a delivery of 1,887,500 pieces struck on the post-Hughes obverse and the unchanged wreath reverse. The 2.67 g pre-Arrows weight specified by the Mint Act of January 18, 1837 remained in force, and the design footprint matched 1841 detail for detail. This is a quiet date at the front end of a long mid-1840s Philadelphia run that shares specifications across consecutive years; collectors looking for structural variation between 1841 and 1842 will not find any, and the meaningful differences come from die state, survival, and the slow drift of star punch position from one year's working dies to the next. The mintage is a modest increase over 1841 and sits comfortably within the typical Philadelphia output range for the period.

Strike on the 1842 Philadelphia runs solid for the era. Liberty's head detail and the stars near the rim come well struck on most coins above Fine, and the wreath leaves on the reverse hold definition into Extremely Fine without difficulty. The shield lines and the lowest two or three stars are the typical weakness points on later die states, but they respond to die freshness rather than to any inherent flaw in the design's metal flow. Authentication is straightforward: confirm the 2.67 g weight, confirm the clear drapery fold at the elbow that places the coin in the post-Hughes hub, and confirm clean original surfaces. Counterfeit pressure on the date is light. Re-cleaned, brightened, and lightly polished examples are the bigger market hazard, and they routinely fail eye-appeal screens regardless of the grade number on the holder.

For a collector, 1842 is a mid-grade date-set workhorse that rarely demands special hunting. Supply at Fine through XF is reliable, the price spread over surrounding Philadelphia years stays narrow, and Mint State coins are present in the market often enough that timing matters more than budget at any given grade. Type-set builders rarely use this date as their Stars With Drapery representative because earlier dates (1841 in particular) carry more transition-year context, but it serves perfectly well in the same slot when supply or price favor it. Acquisition strategy favors original toned surfaces and full strike on the head over the highest grade number on the holder. The Regular classification on the site reflects accurate availability across all circulated grade bands. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the No Stars to Stars to Drapery transitions, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.