1860 10C Liberty Seated Dime NGC MS65

Here is a rare opportunity to acquire an 1860 Seated Liberty dime in gem condition. This coin is perfect for a collector whose interests lie in the Seated Liberty dime series. An 1860 dime can be part of a type set that includes one of each of the different varieties of Seated dimes: Type 1 (no stars on obverse and no drapery, 1837-1838), Type 2 (stars on obverse, 1838-1853 and 1856-1859), Type 3 (arrows at date, 1853-1855), Type 4 (legend on obverse, 1860-1873 and 1875-1891), and Type 5 (arrows at date, 1873-1874). Please contact AUCM to discuss options for developing this type set, or another set that includes Seated Liberty coinage.

Many collectors consider the Seated Liberty design to have been crafted solely by Christian Gobrecht. However, it was a collaboration of several hands and minds before it appeared on the dime and other coins. It was U.S. Mint Director Robert B. Patterson, who, in 1835, was desirous of a new coin that was reminiscent of Britannia on British copper, or images of Liberty from the French Revolution. Artist Thomas Sully was tasked with crafting a rendering of Liberty based on a set of British coins and medals. Then Sully's work was given to the newly hired engraver, Christian Gobrecht, who created a series of drawings before producing a copper die for study and presentation in Washington, D.C. It was in 1839 that the sculptor Robert Ball Hughes lowered the relief, refined the proportions and dynamics of the Liberty, and added an eloquent fold of cloth from the right elbow. The first coin with the new Seated Liberty design was the "Gobrecht dollar" of 1836, followed by the dime and other silver coins.

It was in 1860 that the dime saw its design revised into what has come to be known as the 'Legend Obverse' type or variety. These changes took place at the time that assistant engraver Anthony C. Paquet was hired, however such alterations were mostly attributed to chief engraver James B. Longacre, which was the custom at the time. The modifications included the removal of the obverse stars and their replacement with the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, which before then was found on the reverse. The new design on the reverse saw an elaborate cereal wreath replace the plain laurel wreath of previous years. The tall, narrow lettering seen on the 1860-1891 dimes is a characteristic of the engraving work of Anthony C. Paquet.