1846 H10C N1 Certification #38838692, PCGS #4336

CoinFacts Details

Owner's Comments

1846 Seated Half Dime

Expert Comments

Charles Morgan

The 1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime

The 1846 Liberty Seated Half Dime (#4336) is the key issue among pre-Civil War half dimes, boasting by far the lowest mintage of any date prior to 1863. Because of this scarcity, demand remains strong across all grades — even down to Good — making it both difficult and expensive for collectors to acquire.

The Philadelphia Mint deployed just one set of dies to strike the entire business-strike mintage of 27,000 pieces, while a second die marriage produced a tiny number of Proofs (#4422).

On this issue, the obverse die was heavily polished, leaving the top shield point positioned just to the right of the date's "1" and the final two digits canted slightly downward away from Liberty's base.

In Mint State, the 1846 Half Dime is exceptionally rare, with only a tiny handful known to exist and none certified above PCGS MS63. As a result, the PCGS Condition Census is largely made up of About Uncirculated pieces, including examples as low as PCGS AU53. Outside of the unique 1870-S (#4397), the 1846 is widely considered the single most desirable and iconic key date in the entire Liberty Seated Half Dime series.

* * *

PCGS #

4336

Designer

Robert Ball Hughes/Christian Gobrecht

Edge

Reeded

Diameter

15.90 millimeters

Weight

1.34 grams

Mintage

27000

Metal

90% Silver, 10% Copper

Pop Higher

146

Pop Lower

Region

The United States of America

Price Guide

PCGS Population

Auctions - PCGS Graded

Auctions - NGC Graded

Rarity and Survival Estimates Learn More

Grades	Survival Estimate The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.	Numismatic Rarity Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.	Relative Rarity by Type Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.	Relative Rarity by Series Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	250	R-6.6	9 / 36 TIE	14 / 79 TIE
All Grades	4	R-9.8	1 / 36 TIE	2 / 79 TIE
60 or Better	0	R-10.1	1 / 36	1 / 79

Survival Estimate The Survival Estimate represents an average of one or more experts opinions as to how many examples survive of a particular coin in three categories: 1) all grades, 2) 60 or better, and 3) 65 or better. These estimates are based on a variety of sources, including population reports, auction appearances, and personal knowledge. Survival estimates include coins that are raw, certified by PCGS, and certified by other grading services.
65 or Better	250
All Grades	4
60 or Better	0

Numismatic Rarity Numismatic Rarity converts the Survival Estimate for a particular coin into a number from 1 to 10 (with decimal increments) based on the PCGS Rarity Scale. The higher the number, the more rare the coin.
65 or Better	R-6.6
All Grades	R-9.8
60 or Better	R-10.1

Relative Rarity by Type Relative Rarity By Type ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Type. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	9 / 36 TIE
All Grades	1 / 36 TIE
60 or Better	1 / 36

Relative Rarity by Series Relative Rarity By Series ranks the rarity of this coin with all other coins of this Series. Lower numbers indicate rarer coins.
65 or Better	14 / 79 TIE
All Grades	2 / 79 TIE
60 or Better	1 / 79

Condition Census Learn More

Pos	Grade	Pedigree and History
1	PCGS MS63	As PCGS MS63 #2419418. Joseph O'Connor, January 2004; Heritage Auctions, August 2012, Lot 5074 – $38,187.50; “The Eugene H. Gardner Collection,” Heritage Auctions, June 23, 2014, Lot 30192 – $23,501.18. As PCGS MS63 #02419418. “The Bender Family Collection, Part IV,” Heritage Auctions, May 3, 2023, Lot 3056 – $43,200.
2	PCGS MS62	Samuel Hudson Chapman, March 20, 1920; John Work Garrett; The Johns Hopkins University, by gift, 1942; “The John Work Garrett Collection,” Stack’s, March 1976, Lot 105; “The Stuart C. Levine, M.D. Collection,” Bowers and Merena, April 1986, Lot 2109; A.J. Vanderbilt, via Stack’s. As PCGS MS62 #14983231. “The A.J. Vanderbilt Collection,” Stack’s Bowers, March 22, 2018, Lot 10084 – $48,000.
2	PCGS MS62	Joseph O'Connor, January 2004; "The Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part II," Heritage Acutions, October 27, 2014, Lot 98189 - $32,900.
4	PCGS AU55	As NGC AU58. “The William H. LaBelle, Sr. Collection,” American Numismatic Rarities, July 25, 2005, Lot 914 – $7,360. As PCGS AU55 #83564468. Dell Loy Hansen.
4	PCGS AU55

#1 PCGS MS63

As PCGS MS63 #2419418. Joseph O'Connor, January 2004; Heritage Auctions, August 2012, Lot 5074 – $38,187.50; “The Eugene H. Gardner Collection,” Heritage Auctions, June 23, 2014, Lot 30192 – $23,501.18. As PCGS MS63 #02419418. “The Bender Family Collection, Part IV,” Heritage Auctions, May 3, 2023, Lot 3056 – $43,200.

#2 PCGS MS62

Samuel Hudson Chapman, March 20, 1920; John Work Garrett; The Johns Hopkins University, by gift, 1942; “The John Work Garrett Collection,” Stack’s, March 1976, Lot 105; “The Stuart C. Levine, M.D. Collection,” Bowers and Merena, April 1986, Lot 2109; A.J. Vanderbilt, via Stack’s. As PCGS MS62 #14983231. “The A.J. Vanderbilt Collection,” Stack’s Bowers, March 22, 2018, Lot 10084 – $48,000.

#2 PCGS MS62

Joseph O'Connor, January 2004; "The Eugene H. Gardner Collection, Part II," Heritage Acutions, October 27, 2014, Lot 98189 - $32,900.

#4 PCGS AU55

As NGC AU58. “The William H. LaBelle, Sr. Collection,” American Numismatic Rarities, July 25, 2005, Lot 914 – $7,360. As PCGS AU55 #83564468. Dell Loy Hansen.

#4 PCGS AU55