1867

Only 6,625 business-strike dimes left the Philadelphia Mint in 1867, the lowest non-proof figure of the entire Seated Liberty dime series and one of the smallest production runs in nineteenth-century United States silver coinage. The second full year of Reconstruction inherited the wartime conditions intact, with greenbacks and fractional currency still carrying daily commerce in the eastern states and hard silver moving at a steep premium against paper under the December 30, 1861 specie suspension. The parent mint had no working circulation demand to justify a larger run, the larger silver denominations took priority on the press schedule, and the Mint produced just enough dimes to satisfy bullion accounts and contemporary collectors who recognized the small delivery as it left the dies.

That last point shapes the survival picture and explains why the 1867 trades at Semi-Key rather than apex-Key money despite the headline figure. Contemporary numismatists actively saved Philadelphia minor silver during Reconstruction, and the PCGS and NGC population reports today show meaningful concentration in Extremely Fine through Mint State alongside the usual circulated band, with choice About Uncirculated examples surfacing at major auctions on a regular basis and Mint State coins available with patience. Authentication rests on the Coinage Act of February 21, 1853 standards of 2.49 grams and 17.9 millimeters with a reeded edge, on the Legend obverse format opened in 1860 where UNITED STATES OF AMERICA replaces the thirteen stars Gobrecht's original design carried, and on the plain wreath reverse with no mintmark. The dime never received an IN GOD WE TRUST motto because the planchet was too small to accept the ribbon banner that arrived on the larger silver denominations in 1866. Strike on Philadelphia dies for the year is generally clean across the central devices, with the recurring softness when present gathering on the upper-obverse legend.

The 1867 dime trades as a Semi-Key with prices set by survival distribution rather than the headline mintage, and patient hunting through major auction sales is the standard acquisition path because no individual dealer holds depth on the date. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the Civil War-era production, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.