1878-CC

Carson City struck 200,000 dimes in 1878, the final Carson City dime mintage ever delivered for circulation and a steep collapse from the 7.7 million 1877-CC figure of the prior year. The coin is a Legend, No Arrows issue under the 2.50-gram weight standard set by the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, and it closed out the Carson City dime program that had run since the branch's 1871 opening with the 20,100-piece 1871-CC Key. Eight years of CC dime production end here, with this date the last entry in the run. The 200,000-piece mintage placed the issue immediately on the Semi-Key roster from the outset, both for its absolute scarcity relative to the surrounding 1876 and 1877 high-mintage CC dimes and for its closing-of-branch status that has anchored CC-mint set demand for over a century.

Strike quality on the issue runs generally respectable, with the typical Carson City softness landing on the wreath bow and the lower drapery folds. Most survivors fall in Very Good through Extremely Fine, where the coin did its limited working life before being pulled by collectors and Treasury programs in subsequent decades. About Uncirculated examples turn up at major sales without being events, but Mint State pieces are genuinely scarce, with population reports from PCGS, the Professional Coin Grading Service, and NGC, the Numismatic Guaranty Company, showing a steep drop above MS-63 and MS-64. Gem MS-65 examples are rare. Counterfeit risk runs moderate, with altered-mintmark pieces (CC stamped or transferred onto an 1878 Philadelphia reverse) the principal authentication concern. Diagnostic checks include the 2.50-gram weight on a 90-percent-silver planchet, the 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, verification of the CC mintmark depth and lateral alignment within the wreath, and direct comparison of the mintmark style against documented genuine 1877-CC and earlier CC dime references. Certified examples carry significant premium over raw pieces for exactly this reason.

For collectors, the 1878-CC is one of the cornerstone Carson City dimes and the standard last-acquisition in a CC-mint set after the 1871-CC and 1872-CC Keys. Circulated examples through Extremely Fine command meaningful Semi-Key premiums over CC type pricing, and certified Mint State pieces are condition-rare investments that move on patience. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design and the series' late production, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.