1875 Proof

Philadelphia delivered 700 proof dimes in 1875, the first year of the post-Arrows Legend No Motto form that would govern the design through the end of the series in 1891. Arrows had been removed after the 1873 and 1874 transitional pair, the weight standard set under the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873 remained at 2.50 grams, and the obverse continued the Legend format with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" replacing Gobrecht's original stars. The matching business strike ran 10,350,000 pieces, the largest Philadelphia dime delivery of the entire Seated run and a clear indicator of the demand surge that built into the Specie Resumption Act passage on January 14, 1875. The proof program ran at roughly its 1874 level despite the explosive growth in circulation output.

Strike on the date reads as standard polished-die Philadelphia proof work: deeply mirrored fields, complete denticles around both sides, sharp Liberty detail with full drapery folds, and clean wreath leaves on the reverse. Cameo and Deep Cameo PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, designations exist for the date in moderate population counts, with strong-contrast pieces drawing premiums when offered. Authentication rests on the standard proof structural diagnostics: squared rims perpendicular to the field, watery die-polish lines visible under a 10x loupe (a jeweler's magnifier), full devices, and the 2.50-gram post-Act weight. The 1875 is the first proof of the post-Arrows form that closes the type, and the lack of arrows at the date is the visual separator from the 1874 With Arrows proof that immediately precedes it in the run.

The 700 figure ties 1874 as one of the lower proof deliveries of the post-Centennial-era Philadelphia run. Set breakup over the intervening 150 years has thinned the surviving certified roster well below the original delivery, and most collectors approach the date in PR-63 through PR-65 where the working market sits. Cameo and Deep Cameo coins draw clear premiums and serve the specialist building a complete Cameo Seated proof set. The Regular rarity badge on this page follows site convention for all proof entries; the working scarcity is in the prose, not the label. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1873 Coinage Act, and the series' proof program, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.