1876 10C Liberty Seated Dime PCGS MS65

Ostensibly this issue is a common coin. However, when one looks at the iridescent colors around the rim of the obverse, he or she will see that this 1876 Seated Liberty dime is anything but common. Please see below for a photo of this piece, with its dramatic russet, yellow, aqua, green, and gold colors around the rim, and the lovely shades of gold that cover Lady Liberty.  PCGS has graded 67 as MS65 with 46 finer.

Photo of this offering from AUCM, with its beautiful iridescent colors on the obverse. Photo: PCGS TRUEVIEW.

Ron Guth writes in PCGS Coinfacts, “In 1876, employees at the Philadelphia Mint produced a near-record number of Dimes -- over 11 million, second only to the massive mintage of over 12 million in 1853. If all mints are considered, 1876 was a banner year in which over 30 million Dimes flowed out of Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Carson City. This was a record production that far outstripped any previous year. According to Walter Breen, this reason for this extra production was to replace the 10C Fractional Currency notes still in circulation.”