1872 Proof

Philadelphia struck 950 proof dimes in 1872, the final year of the Legend No Motto, pre-Arrows configuration before the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 nudged the weight standard from 2.49 to 2.50 grams and brought arrows back to the date for two transitional years. The matching business strike ran 2,396,450 pieces, the largest Philadelphia dime delivery of the early Reconstruction stretch. The proof continues the Legend obverse format introduced in 1860, with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" replacing Gobrecht's original stars; the dime carried no IN GOD WE TRUST motto because the planchet was too small for the ribbon banner. Weight held at 2.49 grams on a 17.9-millimeter reeded silver planchet under the 1853 Coinage Act standard.

Strike on the date reads as standard early-1870s Philadelphia proof work: deeply mirrored fields from polished dies, complete denticles around both sides, sharp drapery and hair, and full wreath leaves. Cameo and Deep Cameo designations exist for the date in modest numbers at PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company; the Brilliant proofs without strong frost contrast represent the bulk of the certified roster. Authentication rests on the structural diagnostics of a multiple-blow medal-press strike: squared rims, watery die-polish lines visible under a 10x loupe (a jeweler's magnifier), the 2.49-gram pre-Arrows weight, and complete strike on the central devices. The next-year 1873 proof comes in two sub-issues with closed-3 dates (No Arrows) and the With Arrows transition, and the lack of arrows at the date is the obvious 1872-versus-1873 separator at first glance.

The 950 figure puts 1872 in the upper Reconstruction-era proof range and closely tracks the 960-piece 1871 delivery. Certified populations cluster in PR-63 to PR-66 with smaller representation at PR-67 and above, and the date is one of the more accessible Legend No Motto proofs from a supply standpoint. Most collectors pick up the issue in a certified holder at the grade level that fits their type set or year-by-year proof set. The Regular rarity badge on this page follows site convention for all proof entries; the working scarcity sits in the prose, not the label. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the series' proof program, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.