1862-S

San Francisco delivered 180,750 Seated Liberty dimes in 1862, the second-year Legend obverse output at the branch and a slight increase over the 172,500 pieces struck in 1861. The figure carries outsized importance for the year: with New Orleans no longer producing federal coinage and Philadelphia's output funneling largely into Treasury vaults under the wartime silver hoard, San Francisco was effectively the only mint putting fresh dimes into actual circulation through the second year of the Civil War. Pacific Coast commerce continued to function on a hard-money basis, with gold and silver coins changing hands at full face value while the eastern economy ran on greenbacks. The 1862-S dime therefore did meaningful daily-use work on the West Coast at a time when its Philadelphia counterpart largely did not. The 2.49-gram weight standard remained, and the S mintmark stayed inside the wreath on the reverse.

Strike quality on the year follows the typical early Legend-era San Francisco pattern. The obverse usually comes up cleanly on Liberty's head and the upper legend lettering on early-state dies, with recurring softness on the central reverse wreath leaves and the lower obverse lettering as working dies aged. Survival is broader across grades than the early-S Stars dates thanks to the larger mintage and the active West Coast commerce that did handle these pieces. Most documented examples fall in Good through Very Fine, the band where regional circulation did its work; Extremely Fine and About Uncirculated examples surface with patience, and Mint State coins exist in modest numbers above MS62. Authentication runs through the 2.49-gram weight, the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and the Legend obverse signature on the date. Altered-mintmark counterfeits (an S added to a Philadelphia 1862) typically miss the proper punch depth and lateral position.

For collectors, the 1862-S reads as an attainable early Legend-era branch issue with strong historical anchor: the principal circulation-strike Seated dime for daily commerce during the second year of the Civil War. Circulated examples through Very Fine surface at modest premiums over generic Seated dime pricing, and Mint State pieces deserve a closer look on eye appeal rather than a quick add. 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.