This series is very short lived due to the public complaints about the size and design in relation to the quarter. In the first year of issue 38,500 pieces were minted in Philadelphia including 1200 proofs 133,290 in Carson City, Nevada and 1,555,000 were minted in San Francisco. The following years production figures dropped drastically, only 24,750 were produced in Philadelphia and Carson City combined. Most of these coins were melted at the Mint and never released to the public. In 1877 and 1878 no coins were made for circulation, only proof examples were made for a total of 11,010 for the two years. The eagle was similar to that used on the Trade Dollar but the edge of the Liberty Seated $.20 piece is plain. The mintmark is on the reverse below the eagle. The demise of the $.20 piece was the confusion of the public by the coins similarity to the quarter dollar, a quarter dollar was better established in American Commerce and small small change transactions are satisfied by fractional currency notes. Lastly, the $.20 piece was essentially a substitute for two dimes. The coin was designed by William Barber, it weighs 5 grams and contains 90% silver 10% copper. Here is my recent purchase of an 1875-CC Twenty Cent Piece. A nice F-12 circulated coin that shows no signs of cleaning. This series can be difficult to complete and s bit costly as well for five circulation coins.
I enjoyed the Twenty Cent piece since I was in high school. I was able to get the four made for circulation issues at that time. Then I sold all but one of them in the 1970s. A few years ago I put together the complete set in Proof and Mint State, except for the 1876-CC and the 1875-S that made as a specimen or Proof coin. I won’t be getting either one of those pieces because of the expense and their rarity. I’ve seen a couple of the 1876-CC double dimes at the major shows, but with an asking price of over half a million dollars, I had to pass.
I rather have a fondness for the odd denominations myself. And particularly the twenty cent pieces as they are also my favorite design... The Seated Liberty.... Sweet coin!
Many 1975-CC double dimes are weakly struck at the top of the eagle's left wing and the corresponding area, on the shield, on the obverse. The piece I had in high school, although it was an AU, showed that weakness. This 1875-CC has funky color, but the strike is unusually sharp. NGC graded it MS-62. It is interesting to note that the rare 1876-CC double dimes were oddly struck as well. All of them have doubled "LIBERTY" on the shield.
I always liked the double dime and thought that it actually made more sense than the quarter. Here's her slightly younger cousin from Philadelphia.
A bit of trivia: The 20c uses the Seated Liberty obverse, and a modified trade dollar reverse. Because the motto was on the reverse of the seated liberty, but on the obverse of the trade dollar, there is no "In God We Trust" on the 20c, even though it is long after the motto was added in 1866. IIRC, like the 10c, the 20c was exempted from that requirement.
The use of the motto was actually left up to the discretion of the Director of the Mint. It was permitted, not required. Its use didn't become mandatory until 1908. And even though the law required it to appear, it was not used on the Buffalo nickel, the only coin since 1908 that it doesn't appear on.
