1853 10C Arrows MS(PCGS#4603)

June 2026 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

3187

Grade

MS66+

Price

3,416

Lot Description

Dusted with iridescent champagne-gold toning, this delightful example also sports razor sharp strike detail throughout the design. A full endowment of softly frosted luster to silky smooth surfaces is also a praiseworthy attribute. One of the more popular type coins in the Liberty Seated dime series of 1837 to 1891, the 1853 is the most readily obtainable issue of the brief Arrows design type. As with the half dime, quarter and half dollar whose designs were also modified in similar fashion that year, the arrows were introduced to the obverse of the dime in 1853 to signify a weight reduction, in this case from 2.67 grams to 2.49 grams. The weight standard was changed through the Act of February 21, 1853 to discourage hoarding of silver coins in the East that followed within a couple of years of the discovery of gold in California and the onset of the Gold Rush. By reducing the coins' weight, the dime was once again worth more in face value than as bullion and was able to circulate freely.