1861-S

San Francisco struck 172,500 Seated Liberty dimes in 1861, the branch's first Legend obverse dime delivery and its largest dime production figure of the early 1860s. The mintage marks the transition point at the branch: the 1860-S used the older Stars obverse one year out of sequence with Philadelphia, while 1861-S brought the San Francisco line into alignment with the new Legend obverse and the Cereal Wreath reverse that would carry the design through the rest of the series. The figure outpaces every preceding S-mint dime delivery (the early years had run as low as 60,000) and reflects an expanded branch role in West Coast silver coinage as the Civil War cut off New Orleans federal production after January 1861. The 2.49-gram weight standard remained from 1853, and the S mintmark continued inside the wreath on the reverse.

Strike quality on the year is typical for early Legend-era San Francisco coinage. The obverse usually comes up cleanly on Liberty's head and the upper legend lettering, with recurring softness on the central reverse wreath leaves and the lower obverse lettering when working dies aged into late states. Survival is meaningfully thin across grades. Most documented examples fall in Good through Very Fine, the band where heavy regional commerce did its work; Extremely Fine examples surface with patience, About Uncirculated coins are scarce, and Mint State pieces above MS62 sit in genuine condition-rarity territory, with PCGS and NGC population reports thin in upper uncirculated grades. Authentication starts at the 2.49-gram weight and the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge. The S mintmark on early Legend-era San Francisco dimes is small and sits inside the wreath on the reverse; altered-mintmark counterfeits (an S added to a Philadelphia 1861) typically miss the proper punch depth and lateral alignment seen on genuine branch examples.

For collectors, the 1861-S reads as a first-year Legend obverse branch issue and a recognized Semi-Key within the early-S dime run. Circulated examples through Very Fine command meaningful premiums over generic Seated dime pricing, and certified pieces above Extremely Fine require both patience and budget. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1860 Stars-to-Legend obverse transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.