Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Motto With Drapery, Arrows (1873-1874) | CoinWeek

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Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Motto With Arrows (1873–1874)

The Liberty Seated Half Dollar underwent its final design modification in 1873. That change followed the Mint Act of February 12, 1873, which increased the coin’s weight from 12.44 grams to 12.5 grams. The adjustment required only a small addition of silver, but it brought the denomination into metric uniformity with other silver coinage.

To identify the revised standard, the Mint restored the arrow devices flanking the date. The arrows had last appeared in 1853, when the Mint reduced the weight of subsidiary silver coins. Their return in 1873 signaled another official weight change.

Weight Change and Transitional Coinage

Despite the increase, the new weight still fell within the legal tolerance of the earlier standard. Federal law allowed a variance of plus or minus 0.2 grams. Because of this overlap, some researchers have speculated that the Mint may have used older planchets during the 1873 and 1874 production runs. However, no surviving Mint documentation confirms this practice.

The weight change produced an immediate and measurable effect. The United States Mint redeemed and melted many pre-1873 Liberty Seated Half Dollars, particularly those bearing the motto. This redemption reduced the surviving population of With Motto, No Arrows issues and contributes to their scarcity today.

A Short-Lived Design

The arrows appeared for only two years. In 1875, the Liberty Seated Half Dollar returned to the standard date format without arrows. The design then remained unchanged until the introduction of the Barber Half Dollar in 1892.

The “Crime of 1873” and Its Aftermath

The Mint Act of 1873 reshaped U.S. silver coinage far beyond the half dollar. The legislation eliminated the standard silver dollar and authorized the heavier Trade Dollar, which served international commerce rather than domestic circulation.

As a result, the half dollar became the largest silver coin in widespread everyday use. In economic terms, that mattered. During the early 1870s, two half dollars approximated a full day’s wages for many industrial laborers.

Several market forces soon collided. Silver coins returned to circulation after the Civil War. Nevada mines produced vast new quantities of bullion. Foreign silver flooded U.S. markets. At the same time, the Trade Dollar failed to absorb enough silver to offset this surplus.

Silver interests blamed the 1873 legislation for collapsing demand. They labeled it the “Crime of 1873”, arguing that reduced government purchases sharply lowered silver prices and profits.

Congress responded five years later. The Bland–Allison Act of 1878 required the federal government to buy millions of ounces of silver each month. The Mint used that bullion to strike a new silver dollar. That coin became known as the Morgan Dollar, a denomination well suited to consuming large quantities of silver.

Market Values and Collectability

Several hundred Liberty Seated Half Dollars with Motto and Arrows have received third-party certification as business strikes. Prices remain moderate through Select Uncirculated grades. Values rise sharply at near-Gem and finer levels.

A small number of Prooflike business strikes have also been certified.

The most expensive circulation strikes include the 1873-CC and 1874-CC issues. These Carson City coins command substantial premiums in Select Uncirculated and higher grades.

Proof Issues

Proof Liberty Seated Half Dollars of this type remain accessible through Select Proof grades. Prices increase significantly at Gem Proof and finer.

Proofs dated 1873 and 1874 With Arrows typically sell for about twice the price of comparable No Arrows Proofs. Certified Cameo and Deep Cameo (Ultra Cameo) examples exist. These coins bring modest premiums in lower grades, with stronger premiums appearing at Gem levels and above.

Design Details

Obverse

The obverse depicts Liberty seated on a rock, wearing flowing robes and facing slightly to her right. A narrow band gathers her long, curly hair, which falls down her back and across her shoulder.

Liberty holds a pole topped with a Liberty cap in her left hand. Her extended right arm supports a Union shield that rests against the rock. A curved banner across the shield bears the inscription LIBERTY.

Thirteen six-pointed stars encircle the upper portion of the design. Seven appear to the left, five to the right, and one sits between Liberty’s head and the Liberty cap. The date appears at the bottom center. One arrow flanks each side of the date, marking the revised weight standard.

Reverse

The reverse features a left-facing eagle with extended but partially folded wings. The eagle grasps an olive branch in its right claw and three arrows in its left. Only two arrowheads display visible fletching.

A shield covers the eagle’s chest. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA curves along the upper rim. The denomination HALF DOL. anchors the bottom of the design.

Above the eagle, a flowing banner carries the motto IN GOD WE TRUST. Liberty Seated Half Dollars with Motto and Arrows were struck at Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Carson City in both years of issue. San Francisco and Carson City examples show mintmarks below the eagle and above the denomination.

Specifications

• Type: Liberty Seated Half Dollar, Motto With Drapery, Arrows
• Years of Issue: 1873–1874
• Mintage (Circulation): Highest: 2,359,600 (1874)    Lowest: 59,000 (1874-CC)
• Mintage (Proof):    Highest: 700 (1874)    Lowest: 550 (1873)
• Composition: .900 silver, .100 copper
• Weight: ±12.5 grams
• Diameter: ±30.6 mm
• Edge: Reeded
• Obverse Designer: Christian Gobrecht, from a Thomas Sully drawing; modified by Robert Ball Hughes and James B. Longacre
• Reverse Designer: Christian Gobrecht

Additional References

• Bowers, Q. David. The Expert’s Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins. Whitman Publishing.Bowers, Q. David. A Guide Book of United States Type Coins. Whitman Publishing.
• Breen, Walter. Walter Breen’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Coins. Doubleday.
• Guth, Ron, and Jeff Garrett. United States Coinage: A Study by Type. Whitman Publishing.
• Taxay, Don. The U.S. Mint and Coinage. Arco Publishing.
• Wiley, Randy, and Bill Bugert. The Complete Guide to Liberty Seated Half Dollars. DLRC Press.
• Yeoman, R.S., edited by Jeff Garrett. A Guide Book of United States Coins. Whitman Publishing.

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