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user_4449's Blog

21 Aug 2020

Dimes Part 5

| user_4449

After variety 5, arrows at date, that lasted from 1873-1874, variety four resumed, with the added weight standard of variety 5. The dime now weighs 2.5 grams instead of the 2.49 before, and the 2.67 grams the Liberty Seated dime started out with. New Orleans was still shut down and was a part of the reconstruction that was happening in the South at the time, therefore not making any variety 5 dimes. Philadelphia minted most of the coins from 1875-1891, the last years of the Liberty Seated. In 1878, the San Francisco mint did not make any coins, then in 1879, Carson City stopped too, leaving Philadelphia to do it alone. San Francisco started making dimes again in 1884. Carson City minted its last dimes for circulation in 1878. It was later permanently closed in 1893. All together, the Carson City mint only minted coins during 21 years. Other than the Charlotte mint, the Carson City mint was one of the shortest lasting mints. The biggest key date for variety 4, resumed, Liberty Seated dimes was 1885 S, with only 43,690 dimes struck that year. The last year that Liberty Seated dimes were struck was 1891, by the Philadelphia, San Francisco and New Orleans mint. The next year was the first year that Liberty Head, or Barber, dimes were struck. It is nicknamed Barber for its designer, Charles E. Barber, who was also the chief engraver of the mint. His design was used on the twenty-five and fifty cent pieces of the time. There was an attempt to hold a public competition as to who would design it, but the committee, of which included Barber, only found two, and those were only awarded honorable mention, so the job was just given to Barber by the mint director. The Liberty Head dime shared the same theme for the obverse as all previous dimes, Liberty. In the Liberty Head dime, she is shown facing her left, wearing a Phrygian Cap, a laurel wreath tied with a ribbon and a headband inscribed with the word LIBERTY. A Phrygian Cap is a soft felt cap that was given to non - slaves, usually when they were granted freedom, a symbol of free-men and Barber thought that not only did it work for the then somwhat recent abolition of slavery, but that since the 13 stars were taken off the dime, this was a reminder of the fact that as a people, US citizens are free from the Brittish rule. Liberty’s portrait cuts off below her neck, and Barber was inspired by the French coinage of the period as well of those of Roman and Greek coinage/sculptures. The reverse is nearly identical to those of the Liberty Seated. 


Comments

Imagine having to see the same design on a coin for that long...oh wait.

Golfer

Level 5

Learning new things every post. I don't think I can remember all the facts, but always fun to read about coins and history behind the coins.

Longstrider

Level 6

Where did all these facts come from please??

I. R. Bama

Level 5

Lots of facts packed in here, that's really good. May I make a constructive suggestion? Break your article into paragraphs with spaces. That will make it much more reader friendly.

Mike

Level 7

Please. We would like a bibliography.

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