The Seated Liberty dime appeared on most regular-issue silver United States dimes from 1836 through 1891.
The basic obverse design of the Seated Liberty dime consisted of the figure of Liberty clad in a flowing dress and seated upon a rock. In her left hand, she holds a Liberty pole surmounted by a Phyrgian cap, which had been a pre-eminent symbol of freedom during the movement of Neoclassicism (and in fact traces its roots back to Ancient Greece and Rome). Liberty’s right hand rested on the top corner of a striped shield with a diagonal banner inscribed with the word “Liberty”. The shield represented preparedness in the defense of freedom with the date of the dime on the bottom below Liberty.
The basic reverse design of Seated Liberty dime featured a wreath around the word “one dime”. Before 1860, this wreath consisted of laurel leaves. 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.
Many people collect seated coinage by variety. This can range from a repunched mintmark to the position of a date on the coin to a die crack at various stages. This type of collecting has been popular with Bust half dollars for well over 100 years. Seated coin collecting by variety has grown over the last 30 years with the formation of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club.
