1891-O

The 1891-O is the first dime struck at New Orleans since 1860, ending a 31-year gap in branch-mint dime production at the Crescent City facility. The original 1838-1860 New Orleans dime program had closed at the start of the Civil War when the branch fell to Confederate control and the federal coining operations ceased; the facility resumed limited federal coining of silver dollars in 1879 and added quarters and dimes back to the schedule in 1891. The 4,540,000-piece delivery sits as the second-largest output of the year behind the parallel 15,310,000-piece Philadelphia run, and it dwarfs every prior New Orleans dime mintage from the pre-1861 era (the largest of which was the 1845-O at 230,000 and the 1843-O at 150,000 ranked among the early-decade Semi-Keys). The coin is a Legend, No Arrows issue under the 1873 weight standard of 2.50 grams, with the O mintmark inside the wreath on the reverse, below the bow. It is the only Legend-era New Orleans dime, and the only Seated dime struck at New Orleans under any subtype other than the pre-1860 forms.

Strike quality on the issue runs at branch-mint baseline, with most examples showing acceptable central detail on Liberty's head and the upper shield, sharp shield rivets, and clean wreath veining on the reverse. The facility was running modern equipment by 1891 (the pre-1861 New Orleans presses had been replaced during the federal-coining hiatus), and strike consistency is better than the pre-Civil-War New Orleans pattern suggests. Survivors are common through Very Fine and Extremely Fine, where the coin did its working life through the 1890s and into the early 20th century, with About Uncirculated examples available at routine intervals and Mint State coins present in usable quantity through MS-64. MS-65 is reachable for patient collectors. Authentication relies on the 2.50-gram weight, 17.9-millimeter reeded edge, and confirming the O mintmark placement; a coin presented as 1891-O is unusual enough as a Legend-era branch issue that buyers should verify the mintmark shape and position against documented genuine examples, since this is the only Legend-era N.O. dime.

For a date-and-mint Seated Dime set, the 1891-O is the easier of the two New Orleans collecting requirements (the other being the 1838-O first-year Key from the No Stars subtype), with circulated examples through Very Fine routinely available and Mint State coins reachable at moderate cost. The Regular classification fits the issue accurately. The historical significance, however, is genuine: this is the only Legend-era New Orleans dime, the first N.O. dime since 1860, and the final Seated Liberty dime ever struck at the Crescent City branch before the 1892 design changeover; New Orleans would continue Barber Dime production through 1909. For the broader story of Gobrecht's design, the 1892 Barber Dime transition, and the series' production arc, see the Seated Liberty Dime series history.