1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime are reach $300 Million

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1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime : Michael Thompson had been collecting coins for nearly three decades when he stumbled across an old leather pouch at an estate sale in rural Nevada. The elderly owner had passed away, leaving behind a modest home filled with dusty antiques and forgotten treasures. Michael paid $45 for the pouch and several old books on Western mining history.

“I didn’t even open the pouch until I got home,” Michael recalls, his voice still tinged with excitement years later. “Inside were several tarnished coins wrapped in what looked like century-old newspaper. Most were common Morgan dollars, but one small coin caught my eye—a dime with ‘CC’ beneath the wreath and a date that appeared to be 1873.”

Michael’s heart nearly stopped. Could it be? The legendary 1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime without arrows at the date—a coin so rare that only one confirmed example exists in the world?

After careful examination by several experts and eventual authentication, Michael learned that his coin was actually an altered 1878-CC dime, skillfully modified by a clever counterfeiter. His fleeting brush with numismatic immortality had vanished, but his fascination with the real 1873-CC No Arrows dime—perhaps America’s rarest coin—had just begun.

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The One and Only: A Numismatic Unicorn

The 1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime without arrows is unique in American numismatics—not merely rare or scarce, but literally unique. Only one authentic specimen exists, making it rarer than even the famous 1804 silver dollar (of which eight Class I examples are known) or the 1913 Liberty Head nickel (five known).

“This isn’t just about rarity in the usual sense,” explains James Hartford, a veteran numismatist who has spent decades documenting America’s most elusive coins. “Almost every other renowned rarity has at least a small handful of examples. The 1873-CC No Arrows dime stands alone—a coin with no siblings, no duplicates. In the world of coin collecting, that’s as close to a unicorn as you’ll ever find.”

The coin’s story begins on March 3, 1873, at the Carson City Mint in Nevada. That day, Mint records show the coining department delivered 12,400 dimes without arrows flanking the date to Superintendent Henry F. Rice. Five of these coins were set aside and sent to Philadelphia for the annual Assay Commission testing, as required by law.

What happened to the remaining 12,395 dimes remains one of numismatics’ greatest mysteries.

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Great Meltdown: How History Nearly Erased a Treasure

Just weeks after those dimes were struck, the Coinage Act of 1873 mandated slight weight increases for silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars. To distinguish the new, heavier coins from their predecessors, the Mint added small arrows on both sides of the date.

“The timing couldn’t have been worse for those No Arrows dimes,” explains Carson City Mint historian Elizabeth Parker. “They had barely left the presses when they essentially became obsolete. Most were likely melted down to create the new Arrows variety.”

Indeed, records indicate the Carson City Mint began striking the new Arrows dimes shortly afterward. These revisions created the perfect conditions for numismatic rarity—coins produced briefly during a transition period, then systematically removed from circulation.

Researchers believe the sole surviving specimen likely comes from the five-piece sample sent to Philadelphia for assay testing. Somehow, that single coin escaped the crucible and began a remarkable journey through American numismatic history.

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime A Coin’s Odyssey: From Pocket Change to Million-Dollar Treasure

The first documented appearance of what’s presumed to be the same coin occurred in Edward Cogan’s May 1878 auction of the John Swan Randall Collection. Listed simply as an “1873-CC Old style” dime in “fine impression,” it sold for a mere 17 cents—less than twice its face value.

“It’s mind-boggling to think about,” says coin historian Maria Sullivan. “The most valuable dime in existence once changed hands for less than a quarter. The buyer likely had no idea what he was getting.”

The coin resurfaced in collector H.O. Granberg’s holdings by 1914, when he displayed it at the American Numismatic Society Exhibition in New York. By then, its significance was becoming apparent to serious collectors. In Wayte Raymond’s 1915 auction of a “Prominent American” collection, the dime realized $170—a thousand-fold increase from its 1878 price, but still a pittance compared to its future value.

The dime continued changing hands among prominent collectors throughout the early 20th century, including Waldo C. Newcomer and Charles M. Williams. By 1950, when it appeared in Abe Kosoff’s auction of the Adolphe Menjou Collection, its value had climbed to $3,650.

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Missing Piece: Completing the Eliasberg Collection

For Louis E. Eliasberg Sr., the 1873-CC No Arrows dime represented the final frontier in his unprecedented quest to assemble a complete collection of every United States coin by date and mintmark. By 1950, his collection included everything except this single elusive dime.

When the coin came up for auction in the Menjou sale, Eliasberg was determined to acquire it. He authorized a representative to bid up to $4,000, but was outbid at the auction by the team of James C. Kelly and Sol Kaplan, who won the coin for $3,650.

Recognizing Eliasberg’s passion to complete his collection, Kelly and Kaplan approached him after the auction and offered him the coin for $4,000—a modest profit but a respectful gesture acknowledging Eliasberg’s unique achievement. On November 7, 1950, the transaction was completed, and Eliasberg became the first and only collector in history to own a complete set of United States coins.

“That moment was the numismatic equivalent of summiting Mount Everest,” explains auction house specialist Thomas Reynolds. “No one had ever accomplished it before, and because of the rarity of coins like the 1873-CC No Arrows dime, no one will ever do it again.”

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Modern Era: A Coin’s Value Soars

After Eliasberg’s death, his legendary collection was eventually consigned to auction. In May 1996, Bowers and Merena Galleries offered the 1873-CC No Arrows dime as part of the Eliasberg Collection sale. Described as “MS-65 or finer” (Mint State 65, a nearly perfect grade on the 70-point Sheldon scale), the coin realized $550,000—an astronomical sum that represented a 13,750% increase over what Eliasberg had paid 46 years earlier.

The coin continued its upward trajectory in the marketplace, selling for $632,500 in 1999 when purchased by dealer “Jay” Parrino, then advancing to $891,250 when acquired by Reno coin dealer Rusty Goe in 2004.

Goe, a specialist in Carson City Mint coinage, later sold the dime to the anonymous owner of the Battle Born Collection—only the second complete set of Carson City Mint coins ever assembled. When this collection came to auction in August 2012, the 1873-CC No Arrows dime, now formally graded MS-65 by Professional Coin Grading Service, reached a new record price: $1.84 million.

“The final price stunned even seasoned market observers,” recalls Brian Kendrella, who placed the winning bid on behalf of an anonymous collector. “We expected it to break $1 million, but nearly $2 million showed just how special this coin truly is.”

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime Could Another Example Exist?

The question that tantalizes collectors: might another specimen survive somewhere, waiting to be discovered?

“It’s not impossible,” admits Hartford cautiously. “Of the original 12,400 coins minted, we can only account for one. While most were likely melted, the possibility that another escaped destruction can’t be completely ruled out.”

This remote possibility fuels the dreams of collectors like Michael Thompson, who continue searching through old collections, estate sales, and even circulation for overlooked treasures.

“Lightning striking twice seems more likely than finding another 1873-CC No Arrows dime,” says Thompson. “But that infinitesimal chance—that’s what makes coin collecting so thrilling. Every old coin jar could contain the impossible.”

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Dark Side: When Rarity Breeds Deception

The coin’s extraordinary value has inevitably attracted counterfeiters. Most commonly, forgers alter the more common 1873-CC With Arrows dimes by carefully removing the arrows, or they modify dates on other Carson City dimes.

“We see several sophisticated forgeries every year,” notes authentication expert Jennifer Kaplan. “Some are frighteningly well-done, created using advanced technology and metallurgical knowledge. Others are almost comical in their crudeness.”

Kaplan recommends that anyone believing they’ve discovered this rarity should immediately seek authentication from a reputable third-party grading service before getting too excited.

“Remember, this coin has been extensively studied and photographed,” she cautions. “Authenticators know exactly what the genuine article looks like down to microscopic die characteristics. There’s virtually no chance a counterfeit could fool today’s technology.”

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Psychological Appeal: Why One Coin Captivates the Imagination

The 1873-CC No Arrows dime’s appeal transcends mere rarity or monetary value. It represents something profound to collectors—the ultimate embodiment of numismatic exclusivity.

“Owning the only known example of anything creates a unique relationship between object and owner,” explains Dr. Eleanor Wright, a psychologist who studies collector behavior. “There’s something psychologically powerful about possessing something that no one else can have—something genuinely unique in a world where true uniqueness has become increasingly rare.”

This psychological appeal helps explain why the coin has continued to appreciate far beyond what its metal content or even its rarity might suggest. It’s not just a coin; it’s a singular artifact of American history and human achievement.

1873-CC Liberty Seated Dime The Future: What Lies Ahead for America’s Rarest Coin?

What does the future hold for this numismatic unicorn? Most experts believe its value will continue to climb, potentially reaching eight figures at its next auction appearance.

“The pool of collectors capable of bidding at that level is extremely small,” notes economic historian Frank Wilson. “But for those few individuals, the 1873-CC No Arrows dime represents the ultimate trophy—a coin that instantly defines any collection it enters.”

When the current owner eventually relinquishes the coin, whether through auction or private treaty, the numismatic world will once again hold its breath as this unique American treasure changes hands.

Until then, collectors like Michael Thompson will continue their seemingly quixotic quests, examining tarnished dimes in estate sales and coin shops, hoping against hope to make the impossible discovery of a second 1873-CC No Arrows dime.

“I know the odds,” Thompson says with a smile. “But someone has to be the first to find the second one, right? Until then, we can all dream about what remains the holy grail of American numismatics—a coin so rare that for 150 years, only one person at a time has been able to own it.”

As John J. Ford Jr. wrote in The Numismatist in February 1957, it remains “The rarest regularly issued American silver piece”—a ten-cent coin whose value continues to approach the stratosphere, defying all conventional measures of what a small silver coin from a frontier mint could possibly be worth.

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