Coin Of The Week: March 20, 2011 1874-CC Liberty Seated Half Dollar.
Mintage: 59,000
Survival estimates all grades 100 – 125
Estimates in Uncirculated 9 – 15
Estimates in XF to AU 21 – 30
Total certified examples all
Grades (PCGS and NGC)* 66 as of July 2003
A popular spot in the 1870’s at the U.S. Mint on Carson Street was located just inside the front entrance on the right where the depositors received their payments for the bullion that they had dropped off.
The Carson City Mint’s operations were lifted to new levels in 1874 when production measured in face value increased over 400%*, with gold coins and trade dollars accounting for most of the rise. Dime and Half Dollar production actually decreased during 1874 and no Quarters were minted at all.
Only four obverse dies and two reverse dies were used to make half dollars. Six obverse dies were requested, but the Mint was only shipped the four obverses and two reverse dies indicating that low mintages were to be projected for 1874. In light of a tenfold increase in trade dollar production, all other silver coinage was kept at a minimum. The numbers of die marriages know for this date are three. All 1874-CC half dollars have arrows at the date. With President Grant’s signature on the “Coin Act of 1873”, on February 12, 1873 amongst other provisions, the planchet weight for the newly minted halves was increased from 192.0 grains (+/- 1.5) to 192.9 grains (+/- 1.5) effective April 1, 1873.
In 1874 approximately 90 tons of silver and 5 tons of gold were transported to the Carson City Mint at which time a portion of the metal was returned to depositors in the form of unparted bars, a larger share was returned as parted bars and to a lesser extant, coins.
The Carson City Mint’s annual production had also risen from $ 8 million in 1870 to over $22 million in 1874.
1874 also marked the last year of the “with arrows” coinage as the treasury assumed that everyone had gotten the idea regarding the weight change, to put the weight change into perspective, the additional silver added up to 3 1/3 ounces for every 2000 coins struck.
For those of us looking to put together a type set of Carson City coins the 1873-CC half dollar would be a more likely candidate with a mintage of 214,560 half dollars “ with arrows” compared to only 59,000 1874-CC half dollars struck. The 1874-CC is a much tougher coin to locate.
1874-CC Finest Known’s
PCGS MS-66** (1)
PCGS MS-65** (1) may actually be the same coin as above
NGC MS-64 (2)
PCGS MS-64 (1)
Notable Pedigrees
World’s Greatest collection (1945)
Atwater (1946)
Anderson Dupont (1954)
R.L.Miles (1969)
Reed Hawn (1973)
Norweb (1988)
RARCOA Auction ’90 (1990)
James B. Pryor (1996) ex. Norweb
Eliasberg (1997)
Noblet (1999)
Queller Collection (2002)
Again a great source of information regarding Carson City half dollars I find is “ A Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties Volume II Carson City Branch Mint by Bill Bugert and “The Mint on Carson Street” by Rusty Goe.
1874 in History
Nevada held its first State Fair in 1874
January 1 New York City annexes the Bronx
January 31 Jesse James gang rob train at Gads Hill, Missouri
February 27 Baseball first played in England
March 21 President Grant’s daughter Nellie marries in
the White House
May 20 Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets: price $13.50 per dozen.
July 1 1st US zoo opens (Philadelphia)
December 15 1st reigning King to visit us (of Hawaii) received by President Grant.
I hope you find this addition of the “Coin OF the Week” with some facts you may not have known regarding this issue, I know that I did.
Go "CC'S"
