USA Coin Book
Half Dime · $0.05
1858-P Seated Liberty Half Dime (1837-1873)
FS-302
Key Features
RPD / over inverted date (date punched upside-down first)
Intriguing History
In 1858, sectional tensions over slavery were pushing the country toward crisis -- the Dred Scott decision, the Panic of 1857, and violent conflict in "Bleeding Kansas" all unfolded in these years, while the Mint retired the old large copper cent for a smaller, more efficient coin. This Seated Liberty half dime, the smallest U.S. silver coin ever regularly struck, was doing its small-change work in exactly this period.