1874-S Arrows

The 1874-S Arrows dime closes the brief two-year Arrows weight-change subtype at San Francisco, delivered in 240,000 pieces under the post-Coinage-Act standard of 2.50 grams. The mintage placed the issue between the 455,000-piece 1873-S Arrows of the previous calendar year and the larger 9.07-million-piece 1875-S delivery that followed once the arrows were dropped. After this year, the dime returned to a plain date for the balance of the Legend No Motto run through 1891. Subtype mechanics keep the "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" obverse legend introduced in 1860 and continue the wreath reverse without modification, with weight at the new 2.50-gram standard on a 90 percent silver planchet. The S mintmark sits above the wreath bow knot, the standard placement for San Francisco dimes through the Legend run.

Strike quality on the 1874-S runs uneven and follows a recognizable late-Arrows-era San Francisco pattern: the obverse legend and Liberty's head detail can come up sharp while the wreath leaves and ribbon bow on the reverse arrive softly impressed on later die states. Survival concentrates 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 full reverse leaves require careful searching. Mint State examples exist but turn condition-scarce above MS-62, with PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, populations showing the kind of upper-grade thinness that rewards eye-appeal screening. 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. Altered-mintmark fakes from 1874 Philadelphia Arrows host coins occasionally appear and miss the proper punch depth, lateral alignment within the wreath, and font characteristics.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1874-S Arrows reads as a moderately scarce branch issue and the standard alternative to the rare 1874-CC Arrows for collectors completing the Arrows subtype. Circulated examples surface in mid grades 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, where the issue sits as a respectable branch challenge rather than a Key Date. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the Carson City Mint, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.