1879 Liberty Seated Dime. Fortin-104a. Rarity-4. Repunched Date. MS-67 (PCGS). This beauty is ringed in halos of intense cobalt blue and reddish-orange that are more extensive on the obverse. The centers on both sides are brilliant silver white, and mint frost is evident throughout. Here is an exceptionally well preserved Superb Gem with great eye appeal. Enough dimes were in circulation by the end of the 1870s that there was little need to strike new coins, allowing more focus to be given to the mass production of Morgan silver dollars required by the Bland-Allison Act. In 1879, only the Philadelphia Mint produced dimes and even then it was just 14,000 circulation strikes. Amazingly, Gerry Fortin identified a total of five distinct die marriages, four of which were originally used for the generous Proof output of 1,100 coins (an unusual number considering the small size of the circulation strike mintage that year). Since numismatics in the United States had increased markedly in popularity by 1879, the perceived rarity of this issue (due to the small mintage) was recognized at the time and more than a few were set aside by dealers and collectors, resulting in a significant number of Choice and Gem Mint State surviving. Long recognized as a semi-key date issue, the 1879 remains one of the more popular of the later date Liberty Seated dimes. Superb Gem specimens are quite elusive and are often tightly held in the cabinets of advanced specialists, highlighting the importance of this offering.
