![]() Seated coin collecting by variety has grown over the last 30 years with the formation of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club. This type of collecting has been popular with Bust half dollars for well over 100 years. This can range from a repunched mintmark to the position of a date on the coin to a die crack at various stages. Many people collect Seated coinage by variety. On quarters, half dollars, and silver dollars, the mintmarks were always placed below the eagle but above the coin currency on the reverse. Afterwards, the "O" and "S" (and, later, the "CC" for Carson City) mintmarks were located below the wreath next to the rim. Before this time, half dimes and dimes minted in New Orleans and San Francisco had featured their mintmarks inside the wreaths. Mint eliminated the stars on the obverse of Seated Liberty half dimes and dimes, replacing them with the legend "United States of America", which had previously appeared around the wreath on the reverse of the coins. Around 1840 (the exact date depends upon the denomination), extra drapery was added to Liberty's left elbow.ฤก839-O Liberty Seated half dime with New Orleans mintmark. The Seated Liberty coins featured a few minor design changes over the years. The next year, the coins featured thirteen six-pointed stars around the rim, commemorating the original Thirteen Colonies. The Liberty Seated dime of 1838 minted in New Orleans was the first U.S. Only the Philadelphia Mint made half dimes in this year. The large date can be distinguished by the fact that the date is more in a straight line, similar to dates of later years for the Seated Liberty. For the half dime, the small date can be distinguished by the fact that it is slightly bent in a "smile" orientation, similar to the Bust type of half dime. The New Orleans Mint made only one variety. Only the Philadelphia Mint made both varieties. In the small date variety, the "3" has a rounded serif, and there is small a knob, or bulge, in the "7" horizontal element. In the large date variety, the "3" has a pointed serif at top, and the horizontal element of the "7" is straight. For the dime, these two types can be distinguished by noting the "3" and the "7" in the date. There are two varieties the large date and the small date. When the first Seated Liberty half dimes and dimes appeared in 1837, the obverse contained no stars. ![]() Beginning in 1866, the coins featured a ribbon with the motto "In God We Trust" above the eagle. Above the eagle around the rim were the words "United States of America" and below the eagle around the rim lay the coin denomination. The eagle clutched an olive branch of peace in its right talons and a group of arrows in its left talons. On quarter, half dollars, and silver dollar coins, the reverse featured a central eagle about to take flight, with a striped shield upon its breast. Before 1860, this wreath consisted of laurel leaves, a traditional Neoclassical image, but beginning that year, the wreath was enlarged and was filled not only with leaves, but also traditional American agricultural products, such as corn and wheat. On these coins, the reverse consistently featured a wreath around the words "half dime" or "one dime". The size of half dimes and dimes necessitated a smaller array of elements. The basic reverse design of Seated Liberty coins depended on the denomination.
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