Twenty-Cent Pieces Depicting Liberty Seated (1875-1878)
The Liberty Seated Twenty-Cent Pieces were only produced between the years 1875 and 1876, while their proofs were only produced between the years 1875 and 1878. It has the lowest lifespan of any denomination of coin that was routinely struck by the government. The term "double dimes" was used to refer to them on occasion. The state of Nevada has an active interest in these coins. In 1791, a proposal for a twenty cent piece was made in the United States. The twenty-cent piece was introduced in 1858 in our neighboring country of Canada; nevertheless, it wasn't until February 1874 that the idea was put into practice. The western coast was where all of this action would take place. The Indian cent, the two-cent piece, the nickel three-cent piece, and the Shield nickel five-cent piece are some of the other coins that were produced there. There is no record of the silver three-cent pieces ever being used in commercial transactions. For this reason, the San Francisco mint did not produce any of these different denominations of currency. A bill to create a new 20 cent piece was first proposed by a senator from Nevada in February of 1874. During that time period, Nevada was the leading state in terms of the production of silver. For everyone who is interested, during the production of the new coin in 1874 and 1875, a variety of patterns were created. Due to the fact that individuals in the east were still stockpiling silver from the time of the civil war, the twenty cent piece was mostly only circulated in the western states of the United States. This was the fundamental reason why it was so difficult to find in the east. The Spanish-American coin that was no longer legal tender but was still in circulation was intended to be replaced by the twenty-cent piece as a means of currency replacement. The coin was approved on March 3, 1875, and manufacture of it began in Philadelphia in the middle of June of that same year. Only the San Francisco Mint produced 1,155,000 coins during the first year of production, whereas the Carson City Mint produced 133,290 coins during that same time period. Only 36,910 coins were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, making it the facility that produced the fewest total coins. The following year, production had significantly slowed down, and they were only producing roughly 10,000 coins at the Carson City mint and around the same with the other Mints, with the exception of San Francisco, which did not have any coins manufactured.
The Concept Behind the Design of the Twenty-Cent Piece Depicting Liberty Seated
When developing the new piece in 1875, a significant number of patterns were created, the most majority of which were quite distinct from the quarter dollar. One of these depictions included only Liberty's head on the coin, with the rest of her body positioned in a seated position. Although it was a lovely design, it was not selected for the coin; instead, they decided to go with the design that Christian Gobrecht had created. On the obverse of this piece was a depiction of Liberty in the form of a seated figure carrying a shield. On the new currency, many of the things they said, including the fact that the coin was too small to include the phrase "In God We Trust," were written. This was said in an article that was published in The New York Time on April 16th, 1875. Another article that was published in Banker's Magazine in June 1875 discussed who was responsible for the design of the currency as well as what would really be included on the piece.
Pattern Coins
Instead of trying to create an attractive design for a coin, the patterns that were developed in 1874 were done so with an eye for history. For instance, on the trade dollars issued in 1873, there is a depiction of a seated Liberty wearing a liberty cap and holding a pole. Her left hand is resting on a globe, while cotton plants are positioned at her feet.
The following are some examples of patterns that were created:
1874 Twenty cent (J-1354 to 1356a)
1874 Twenty cents (J-1357 and 1358)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1392 to 1395)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1396 to 1398)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1399 to 1402)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1403 to 1406)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1407 to 1410)
1875 Twenty cents (J-1411 to 1413)
1875 Twenty cents, regular dies (J-1414 and 1415)
1876 Twenty cents. Regular dies (J-1454)
1876-S Twenty cents, regular dies (J-unlisted)
Aspects of A Strike
The twenty cent strikes had an outstanding degree of crispness across the board. Some of the 1875-CC and 1875-S coins have weaker striking than others, and this can be seen on the head on the obverse and the leaves on the reverse. However, this is not a problem because grading services will look past this because they are aware of the strikes with a lower probability of success.
Putting Out and Spreading the Word
The coins that were released from Philadelphia from 1875 to 1876 could not be obtained by those living in the Midwest and East; however, they may purchase those coins at the mint for an additional fee. The coins were only put into circulation in the west, where they encountered several difficulties. Since it was nearly the same size as the Liberty Seated quarter dollar, people immediately became confused about the currency. As a result, people frequently mistook it for the other piece. People's unwillingness to change was another issue; they were so accustomed to ignoring the twenty-piece that they didn't even consider using it. By 1876, the currency had become obsolete; hence, it was no longer struck in the San Francisco mint, and only a small number were produced in Carson city and Philadelphia respectively. Also after that, the majority of sales after that were made to collectors as keepsakes during the Centennial Exhibition. They were never implemented since they were unable to garner any momentum in the market.
Twenty-cent Pieces Bearing the Image of Liberty Seated
Proofs were produced between the years 1875 and 1878, with 1,200 being made for the year 1875 and sent to individuals who were not numismatists. In the years 1877 and 1878, the coins were produced only for the purpose of being collected; none were intended for general circulation. The toning of today's coins reveals the veneration of light polishing that was prevalent throughout those years for the coins. In the end, the owners of the proofs that were already out in circulation spent them all.
Grading Liberty Seated Twenty-Cent Pieces
1875. Graded MS-64: they are going to have some abrasion and contact marks on them. The thighs, knees, and chest are the most noticeable areas to be affected. There is some luster left, albeit it might not be entirely present. MS-63 contains very few marks, and any abrasions that are there will be difficult to identify and would require magnification to be seen clearly. MS-65 means that the coin will not have any abrasions and will not have any contact marks; if there are any, magnification will be required in order to notice them. A complete luster will be present on them as well, unless the coin came from the Philadelphia mint. On the reverse, the same criticisms that were made about the front will apply, with the breast and wing of the eagle located at the top left being the most obvious spots for abrasion. There will be no marks given out for MS-56 or higher.
1875-CC. Graded AU-55: There will be some light wear on the breasts, knees, head, and thighs. Also, the condition is not perfect overall. AU-58 will have a significant amount of brilliance, but it will be uneven, and there will be friction on the field. On the other side, the wing and breast of the eagle will most likely show signs of wear. Because of the way the reverse is created, the AU-58 will practically have full shine when it is properly struck.
1875-S. Graded EF-45: This coin will have greater wear, particularly on the head, bosom, knees, and thighs. Overall, the coin is in good condition. There is going to be very little to none of its sparkle left. On the back, there will be more signs of wear, particularly on the eagle's breast and the upper left of the wing, where some of the feathers may have become intertwined.
1875-S. Graded VF-25: More wear will be evident, and it should be possible to see it. Grade reflects the condition of the coin. The majority of the aries will detail is currently missing, with the exception of locations with low relief, such as the shield. There is additional wear on the reverse side, namely on the breast and the top of the left wing. A greater number of feathers, particularly those on the right wing, will be mixed together.
1875-S. Liberty is in poor condition with very little detail remaining; it has been given the grade F-15. The word "LIBERTY" is not very strong and is missing no more than two and a half letters. The reverse lacks in detail even more than the front, with fifty percent of the feathers being mixed together.
1875-S. This Liberty Seated Half Dollar has more than Wear and some details might be able to be seen. It has been graded VG-10. There is a fragment of the shield, and three of the letters that spell out "LIBERTY" are visible, despite the fact that they are quite faint. Be aware, however, that the LIBERTY is not a credible source to Grade this coin due to certain differences with the word being more present on some dates. If you want to grade this coin, you need use another source instead. There will be more wear visible on the opposite side.
The Liberty has been worn down to the point where it is now smooth and was graded G-6 in 1875-CC. There are no letters left in the word "liberty" after G-4. G-6 one or two letters are visible, but they have significant wear. On the flip side, it will be worn more extensively, and the feathers will be almost completely removed. The rim has lost part of its brightness but can still be made out in certain sections. Although it is possible that some of the lettering have been worn down or possibly removed entirely, the reverse appears to still be in a higher grade.
1875-CC, graded an AG-3: the figure of Liberty may be seen, although it is only an outline at this phase and does not have any details. The date may still be made out, despite the fact that the rim is missing. On the reverse, the majority of the eagle, if not the whole thing, is only an outline at this time, and the rim is severely damaged or even missing in some places.
1877. Graded PF-61: This indicates that the proof will be extremely clean and will have a considerable amount of hair line. If it has a duller appearance or is grainier, it will be given a grade such as PF-60-62. PF-66 Will have hair lines that are so fine that you won't be able to see them without using magnification. everything above that point in the evidence should not have any lines in it.
Coins with Liberty Seated on the Twenty-Cent Pieces Being Collected
Numismatists have not really made a specialty out of the coin due to the fact that there are only a few Mint markings. The majority of purchasers have a certain coin in mind that they wish to add to their collection. The majority of the coins that they are looking for are readily available in their Mint state all the way up to the year 1875 S. If you are looking for the 1875-CC, you will have a substantially more difficult time finding it, but it will become available at some point. The vast majority of the coins are going to be accessible, albeit some of them in slightly more challenging ways than others.
Being a Smart Buyer
Out of all of the seated liberty sets, the twenty-cent pieces are going to be the ones that are the least difficult to gather. This is due to the fact that there are not a lot of items in the series. When searching for your coin, bear in mind that graders do not grade based on eye appeal. Because of this, you should not rely exclusively on the grade, although it is an excellent starting point. Sharpness and a pleasing appearance to the eye are two qualities to seek for. It is not unacceptable to receive a lower grade if this results in a coin that has greater eye appeal and is more beautiful.