1845-O

The 1845-O dime returned New Orleans to the production sequence after the 1844 absence, with the branch mint delivering 230,000 pieces for the year. The figure sits well below the 1842-O run and only modestly above the recognized-scarce 1843-O at 150,000, placing 1845-O in an intermediate slot where supply is genuinely thin without quite reaching the threshold the catalog uses for the Semi-Key tier. The reduced output reflects the branch's role through this stretch as a supplemental rather than primary source of national dime supply, with Philadelphia striking the bulk of working coinage at 1,755,000 pieces the same year. New Orleans concentrated on the half dollar and the half dime through much of the 1840s, with dime production filling the gaps when planchet supply and die availability allowed.

Strike on the 1845-O follows the chronic New Orleans pattern for the period, with low-pressure deliveries producing soft Liberty head detail, mushy upper shield rivets, and recurring weakness on the wreath leaves and ribbon bow. Stars closest to the rim can appear half-formed even on coins with otherwise clean fields, and the reverse can show flat central detail that survives into Mint State on the small number of pieces that reached collector hands before commerce wore them down. The mintmark sits inside the wreath below the bow, the standard New Orleans dime position used continuously through 1860. Surviving examples cluster heavily in Good through Very Fine, where most market activity occurs, with Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated coins surfacing irregularly at major auctions and Mint State pieces a genuine scarcity. Authentication relies on the pre-Arrows weight of 2.67 grams, the reeded edge, and the mintmark placement inside the wreath; weight outside the pre-1853 standard indicates either an altered date or a wrong-era planchet substitution.

For the New Orleans date-set builder, the 1845-O is a coin to acquire in the best problem-free grade available within budget rather than chasing rarefied condition. Fine through Very Fine examples reward attentive examination of strike artifacts versus actual wear, and Extremely Fine coins with original surfaces sit well above the date-set baseline in scarcity. The site's Regular classification reflects how the issue trades in worn grades, with the upper end functioning as a real condition challenge. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.