1873-CC Arrows

The 1873-CC Arrows dime is among the most desirable Carson City silver issues, struck after the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 added small horizontal arrows to flank the date and bumped weight from 2.49 to 2.50 grams. Carson City delivered 18,791 With Arrows pieces under the new standard, separate from the 12,400 pre-Act No Arrows production that was almost entirely melted before release; the Arrows segment is the only meaningful surviving population, since the No Arrows pieces survive as a single Eliasberg specimen. The coin sits in the brief 1873-1874 Legend with Arrows subtype, the same narrow two-year window that produced the parallel Philadelphia and San Francisco issues, and carries the "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" obverse legend introduced in 1860. Weight is 2.50 grams on the new post-Act standard, struck on a 90 percent silver planchet at the 17.9-millimeter reeded-edge specification.

Survival is extremely limited and concentrates in the lower circulated grades, with most certified examples grading Good through Fine where the coin did its working life in Nevada and California commerce during the silver-mining boom decades. Mint State examples are exceptional rarities, and the certified population reports from PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, show only a small handful of uncirculated survivors across both services combined. Strike runs typical of Carson City silver in the early 1870s, with periodic softness on the wreath leaves and the lower obverse legend on later die states. Authentication is the central concern. Counterfeit pieces, including added-CC alterations grafted onto 1873 Philadelphia Arrows host coins, surface periodically and miss the proper mintmark punch depth, lateral alignment within the wreath, and font characteristics. The 2.50-gram post-Act weight, the reeded edge, the small horizontal arrows flanking the date, and a CC mintmark seated above the bow knot are the baseline checks; serious purchase decisions require PCGS or NGC certification.

The 1873-CC Arrows operates as a Key Date for the Seated Dime series and a coin most collectors approach only through a certified slab. Worn examples in Good and Very Good command four-figure premiums, with Fine and better grades stepping into five-figure territory. The classification matches the market reality across every grade level, where the issue trades at premiums shaped by extreme scarcity rather than collector demand alone. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.