1855 Arrows

The 1855 Arrows dime is the final year of the Arrows-at-Date subtype on the denomination, with Philadelphia producing 2,075,000 pieces before the Mint dropped the design device entirely for the 1856 issues. By the close of 1855 the bullion-arbitrage pressure that had forced the 1853 weight reduction had eased, and Mint officials judged the public sufficiently aware of the new 2.49 gram standard that the visible arrow markers were no longer necessary. The weight itself stayed put under the Coinage Act of February 21, 1853, but the dies for 1856 went back to a clean date format. That makes the 1855 a transitional date in a quiet way: nothing about the coin itself looks unusual, but it closes the only three-year window in which the dime carried the arrow flanks.

Strike quality on this date varies more than its 1854 predecessor, with later die states showing pronounced weakness on Liberty's head and the upper stars where worn dies failed to fully transfer detail. The shield's vertical lines and the wreath bow on the reverse also tend toward softness on Mint State pieces, so a sharply struck example is something to seek out rather than expect. Some die marriages show clash marks visible across the obverse fields, particularly behind Liberty's seated figure, and these add interest for die-marriage collectors without commanding distinct premiums. Authentication runs through the standard arrows check: arrowheads flanking the 1855 date, no mintmark, and the 2.49 gram weight on a scale. The premium over the more common 1853 and 1854 Arrows is modest, so the alteration risk profile is unremarkable.

Demand for the 1855 splits between type collectors who prefer this terminal Arrows year as the scarcer subtype representative and date specialists assembling a continuous Seated dime run. Circulated grades from Very Good through Extremely Fine are widely available at modest prices, About Uncirculated examples take more patience than the 1854 Arrows but remain within reach of most collectors, and Mint State pieces are condition-scarce in MS-63 and finer. Auction prices for gem coins have moved up steadily as Seated dime collecting has matured. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1853 Coinage Act and Arrows transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.