1872-S

The 1872-S dime came out of San Francisco at 190,000 pieces, a small Pacific Coast mintage that placed the issue between the 35,480-piece 1872-CC and the 2.4-million Philadelphia output for the same calendar year. The coin closes the year before the 1873 Coinage Act resumed Arrows at the date and bumped weight from 2.49 to 2.50 grams, making it one of the final Legend No Motto, pre-Arrows S-mint dimes. Subtype work continues unchanged from earlier in the run, with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arcing around the seated Liberty on the obverse and the wreath reverse carrying the S mintmark above the bow knot. Weight stays at the post-1853 Arrows-era standard the Mint had used since 1853, struck on a 90 percent silver planchet at the 17.9-millimeter reeded-edge specification.

Survival on the issue is shaped by both modest mintage and heavy Western commercial use. Most pieces grade Very Good through Very Fine, the working band where the coin moved through Pacific Coast trade during the post-Civil War decade, and Extremely Fine or better examples take patience to locate with original surfaces. Mint State coins exist but are condition-scarce above MS-62, with PCGS and NGC populations showing the kind of upper-grade thinness that rewards eye-appeal screening over a quick label purchase. Strike runs typical of San Francisco production in the early 1870s, with periodic softness on the wreath leaves and the lower obverse legend on later die states. Authentication starts with the 2.49-gram weight, the reeded edge, and the absence of arrows at the date; an S mintmark seated above the wreath bow knot is correct, and added-mintmark alterations from 1872 Philadelphia coins occasionally appear and miss the proper punch depth and lateral alignment on the wreath.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1872-S reads as a moderately scarce branch issue, not a Key Date but a coin that requires more attention than the Philadelphia regulars of the era. Circulated examples through Very Fine sit at meaningful premiums over generic Seated dime type pricing, About Uncirculated coins step up further, and Mint State pieces operate firmly in condition-rarity territory. The Regular classification matches the market reality across the worn grades while the upper end carries its own quiet challenge. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.