1873

The 1873 half dime is the final year of the denomination. The Coinage Act of February 12, 1873, formally discontinued the half dime along with the three-cent silver (trime) and the silver dollar. Philadelphia produced 712,000 half dimes before the denomination was retired. The design continues the Legend Obverse subtype that had been in use since 1860, with no visible change to signal the coin's terminal status.

The half dime had been in continuous production (with the 1806-1828 gap) since 1794, a span of nearly eighty years. The denomination was ended because the five-cent nickel, introduced in 1866, had taken over the same commercial role without requiring silver. By 1873, the silver half dime was a redundancy that the Coinage Act eliminated. The 1873 represents the final chapter of a denomination that had served American commerce since the Mint's earliest years.

As a final-year issue, the 1873 draws collector interest beyond what its mintage alone would predict. Terminal-year coins are prized, and the 1873 half dime is a mandatory acquisition for collectors completing the Seated Liberty half dime date set or the broader half dime denomination set.