1867 Proof

Philadelphia delivered 625 proof dimes in 1867 against a 6,625-piece business strike, the second year in a stretch of Reconstruction-era Philadelphia mintages so thin that the proof program ran at the same order of magnitude as circulation output. Specie payments would not resume until 1879, and the parent mint had no working demand to justify a larger run of either format. The proof continues under the Legend No Motto obverse that began in 1860, with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" replacing the stars Gobrecht's original design carried; the dime received no IN GOD WE TRUST banner change in 1866 because the planchet was too small to carry the ribbon. The weight standard remained the 2.49 grams set by the Coinage Act of February 21, 1853, on a 17.9-millimeter reeded silver planchet.

Strike quality on the 1867 proof reads as standard mid-1860s Philadelphia work: deeply mirrored fields produced by polished dies, frosted central devices on a meaningful share of survivors, and full denticles around both sides. Cameo and Deep Cameo PCGS and NGC designations exist for the date in modest numbers; Brilliant proofs without strong frost contrast dominate the certified population. Authentication on a single coin reads from the physical diagnostics rather than the obverse design alone, since the Legend obverse runs across all the Philadelphia proofs from 1860 through 1873. Look for squared rims perpendicular to the fields, the multiple-blow medal-press signature, watery die-polish lines visible under a 10x loupe (a jeweler's magnifier), and full strike on the wreath leaves and drapery folds. Prooflike business strikes from polished dies are the principal impersonators of low-mintage proofs; the structural diagnostics on the rim and devices separate them from genuine proof work.

The 625 figure puts 1867 near the bottom of the Reconstruction-era proof range but well above the 510-piece 1877 low and the 600-piece 1868 and 1869 figures. Original proof sets contained gold, silver minor, and base-metal denominations together, and dimes routinely broke from those sets for type purposes, so the surviving certified population sits meaningfully below the original delivery. Collectors typically approach the date in PR-63 to PR-65 where the supply concentrates, with Cameo and Deep Cameo examples drawing premiums when they surface. The Regular rarity badge on this page reflects site convention for proof entries; the genuine scarcity lives in the prose. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the series' proof program, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.