1873-S Arrows

The 1873-S Arrows dime is the San Francisco contribution to the brief two-year Arrows weight-change subtype, struck after the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 raised the dime standard from 2.49 to 2.50 grams and required small horizontal arrows at the date. San Francisco delivered 455,000 pieces for the calendar year, all under the new weight standard, since the Pacific Coast facility did not produce any 1873-S No Arrows dimes. That makes the issue a clean entry in the Legend with Arrows subtype run and the standard S-mint representative of the 1873 Coinage Act transition. Weight is 2.50 grams on a 90 percent silver planchet, with the "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" obverse legend introduced in 1860 and the wreath reverse carrying an S mintmark seated above the bow knot.

Strike quality on the 1873-S runs better than typical San Francisco output of the period, with the small arrow pellets and date numerals showing reasonably crisp impressions on most surviving examples. Survival concentrates heavily in Very Good through Very Fine, the working band where the coin moved through Pacific Coast commerce during the post-Civil War decade, and Extremely Fine pieces with original surfaces take patience to locate. Mint State examples exist in usable numbers but the supply thins markedly above MS-63, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, populations showing upper-grade scarcity that rewards eye-appeal screening over a quick label purchase. Authentication runs through three checks: the 2.50-gram post-Act weight, the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and the small horizontal arrows positioned tightly to the left and right of the date. The S mintmark sits above the wreath bow knot, and altered-mintmark fakes from 1873 Philadelphia Arrows dies occasionally appear and miss the proper punch depth and lateral alignment within the wreath.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1873-S Arrows is the standard branch issue of the Arrows subtype and a meaningfully more available alternative to the 1873-CC Arrows for collectors building the transition years. Circulated examples remain affordable in mid grades, About Uncirculated coins surface with patience at modest premiums, and Mint State pieces operate as a quiet condition challenge above MS-63. The Regular classification matches market behavior across the worn grades. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.