3556

1874-CC Liberty Seated Dime. Arrows NGC XF45

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:17,500.00 USD Estimated At:35,000.00 - 45,000.00 USD
1874-CC Liberty Seated Dime. Arrows NGC XF45
Medium dove gray with some deeper iridescence in the protected areas, and with a glancing whisper of color as well. A few faint marks can be found after careful examination below the word DIME; over and above this, however, there is nothing that should be unexpected for the strong Extremely Fine grade. Aside from wear, the devices appear crisp and well proportioned.

The 1874-CC dime is one of what many numismatists call the "big four" of the series, all of which, it shouldn't surprise, were produced in Carson City -- 1871-CC, 1872-CC, 1873-CC Arrows, and the present date, 1874-CC Arrows. The 1874-CC dime is far and away the rarest among the business strike Liberty Seated dimes. (Some 12,400 1873-CC dimes without arrows at date were struck, but virtually the entire mintage was melted at the time of the design change to the arrows format; just one specimen is currently known of the variety and it is not considered a "regular" issue by serious students of the series.)

The 1874-CC rarity does not have the lowest mintage of the regular issues in the series -- that honor belongs to the 1867 dime -- but it does still command attention as the most important key date in the set, and that by a long shot. The mintage for the 1874-CC dime, 10,817 pieces, went at once into the channels of commerce in and around Carson City, where coins like this were spent and re-spent until they got worn to a frazzle; and no doubt many were lost or else damaged; indeed, many of the small number of 1874-CC dimes currently known have been dug from the ground to show signs of pitting and other deterioration - not something a collector can be proud to show off. This delightful EF45 specimen, however, should excite the interest of one and all. (#4669)