1870 Proof

Philadelphia struck 1,000 proof dimes in 1870, pushing the proof program back above the four-figure threshold for the first time since 1860 and marking a steady increase in collector subscription demand as Reconstruction wound toward Specie Resumption. The matching business strike ran 470,500 pieces. The proof continues under the Legend No Motto subtype that began in 1860, with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" replacing the obverse stars and the wreath reverse unchanged; the dime never received an IN GOD WE TRUST motto change because the planchet was too small to carry the banner. Weight held at the 2.49-gram standard set by the Coinage Act of February 21, 1853, on the 17.9-millimeter reeded planchet. The 1870 was also the first year the Carson City Mint produced any coinage, though the Carson City dime would not appear until 1871.

Strike quality runs typical of polished-die Philadelphia proof work: deeply mirrored fields, complete denticles around both sides, sharp drapery and hair detail on Liberty, and full wreath leaves on the reverse. Cameo contrast appears on a meaningful share of the certified population, with the Deep Cameo PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, designations existing for a smaller subset that draws clear premiums when offered. The larger proof mintage relative to the 1866 through 1869 stretch translates to a noticeably deeper certified population today, particularly in PR-63 to PR-66, and the date functions as one of the more accessible Reconstruction-era proof dimes from a supply standpoint. Authentication rests on the structural diagnostics of the multiple-blow medal-press strike: squared rims perpendicular to the fields, the watery die-polish lines a 10x loupe (a jeweler's magnifier) reveals on the fields, and the 2.49-gram weight on a 90 percent silver planchet.

Original sets again included gold, silver minor, and base-metal denominations, and breakup for type purposes thinned the surviving roster below the original 1,000-piece delivery. The certified population concentrates in PR-63 through PR-65, where the working market for the date sits, with Cameo examples carrying premiums that depend on the visual contrast more than the grade label. The Regular rarity badge on this page follows site convention for proof entries; the catalog tier sits 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.