1876-CC

Carson City struck 8,270,000 dimes in 1876, the largest single-year CC dime delivery of the entire branch run and a figure that dwarfs every other Carson City dime mintage by a substantial margin. The 1876-CC arrived in the second year of post-Arrows Legend, No Arrows production and benefited from the same Centennial-year demand push that lifted Philadelphia output to 11.46 million pieces. By 1876, Carson City had been striking dimes for five years, the western silver-coin shortage had eased, and the branch was running at a meaningful share of national dime capacity for the first time. Combined Carson City output for the year carries a recognized Type I and Type II reverse split (referring to a working-die change in the wreath and lettering hub on the reverse), though the site catalogs the year as a single entry rather than as separate variety listings.

Strike quality on the issue is generally respectable, better than the typical earlier CC dime output, but still shows the recurring Carson City softness on the wreath bow, the lower drapery folds, and occasionally the central head detail when working dies passed their prime. Most survivors fall in Very Good through Extremely Fine, where the coin did its working life through the late 1870s and 1880s. About Uncirculated examples are reasonably available given the large mintage base, and Mint State pieces exist in workable numbers but turn condition-rare above MS-63 with clean fields and full original luster. Authentication for any 1876-CC begins at the 2.50-gram weight on a 90-percent-silver planchet and the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge; the CC mintmark sits inside the wreath on the reverse, and counterfeit risk is moderate enough that PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, attribution carries real weight on any premium-grade purchase. Working die studies catalog multiple marriages for the year, with mintmark size and position serving as the principal attribution markers.

For collectors, the 1876-CC reads as the most accessible Carson City dime of the entire branch run, with circulated examples through Extremely Fine surfacing routinely at modest CC-mint premiums over Philadelphia type pricing. The coin is the standard first acquisition for anyone building a CC-mint dime set, and certified Mint State examples remain reachable for set collectors willing to wait for the right strike. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design and the series' late production, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.