1873 Arrows

The 1873 Arrows Philadelphia dime is the first issue struck under the new weight standard set by the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, which raised the dime from 2.49 to 2.50 grams and brought small horizontal arrows back to flank the date as a visible weight-change marker. Philadelphia delivered 2,378,500 Arrows pieces between February and the end of the calendar year, set alongside the pre-Act 1,568,000-piece No Arrows production split between Closed 3 and Open 3 logotypes that the Arrows hub replaced as soon as the new weight standard took effect. The coin belongs to the brief 1873-1874 Legend with Arrows subtype, a narrow two-year window in the Seated Dime arc that parallels the larger 1853-1855 Arrows era in marking a weight change but works in the opposite direction. Subtype mechanics keep the "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" obverse legend in place and continue the wreath reverse without modification.

Strike quality on the 1873 Arrows reads as adequate working Philadelphia output, with the small arrow pellets and date numerals showing crisply on early die states and softening on later strikes. The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 also abolished the silver three-cent piece and the half dime as legal tender, which shifted additional small-change commercial weight onto the dime denomination for the balance of the decade. Survival concentrates in Very Good through Extremely Fine, the band where the coin moved through commerce into the late nineteenth century, with About Uncirculated examples reasonably available and Mint State coins above MS-63 quietly condition-scarce. Authentication runs through three checks: the 2.50-gram post-Act weight on a 90 percent silver planchet, the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and the small horizontal arrows positioned tightly to the left and right of the date. The Wiley-Bugert reference catalogs the year's working die marriages, with date and arrow placement serving as standard attribution markers.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1873 Arrows is the workhorse representative of the Arrows subtype and the cleanest type-set example of the 1873 Coinage Act change. Circulated examples remain affordable across the worn grades, About Uncirculated coins step up moderately, and Mint State pieces operate as a condition challenge in the upper range. The Regular classification matches how the market handles the issue across the worn grades, with the rarer 1873-CC Arrows and the 1873-CC No Arrows occupying entirely different price tiers. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.