PCGS The Standart for the Rare Coin Industry

Early Dimes (1796-1837)

Dimes or 10-cent pieces were first minted for circulation in 1796. The design used in that year and the following was the Draped Bust type with Small Eagle reverse, as used on half dimes of the same span. Then followed dimes of the Draped Bust obverse type with Small Eagle reverse, minted from 1798 through 1807, again following the half dime motifs of the same era. Like the half dimes, the dimes bore no indication of value.

There are no landmark rarities among early dimes, although several varieties are decidedly scarce, notably the 1798/7 overdate with 13 reverse stars. Of particular interest is the 1804 dime with 14 reverse stars; it was struck from the identical reverse die used to coin $2.50 gold pieces of the same year.

In 1809 the Capped Bust design, by Mint engraver John Reich, was introduced. The motif was the same as that used on half dimes 1829-1837 and certain other silver denominations. Capped Bust dimes were produced intermittently from 1809 through 1837. No date rarities were created within that span, although several specialized die varieties are elusive.

For several generations, dimes were generally ignored by serious scholars. In the 19th century Maris, Crosby, Andrews and others studied minute die varieties of large cents, Newlin contributed a work on half dimes, and Haseltine created his Type-Table of United States Dollars, Half Dollars, and Quarter Dollars. Overlooked were ten-cent pieces. In 1945 dimes had their due, sort of. In that year F.C.C. Boyd secretly consigned his collection of United States silver coins to the Numismatic Gallery, a New York City coin partnership owned by Abe Kosoff and Abner Kreisberg. Billed as "The World's Greatest Collection," with no mention of Boyd, the auction offering contained gems in all silver series (Boyd's gold coins were sold by the same firm a year later). The separate catalogue featuring dimes was written by Abe Kosoff, and described the die varieties Boyd had been able to acquire. Although the work was hardly definitive, and copies were soon out of print, it was the best effort in the dime series of any professional numismatist up to that point.

In 1984 the John Reich Collectors Society published Early United States Dimes 1796-1837, by David Davis and four co-authors, a masterpiece of numismatic scholarship and writing. At long last aficionados of the series had a reference book which could hold its own with the finest in any other series.

Budget Recommendations: Form a type set or date set in G-4 to VG-8 grade.

Recommendations for the Connoisseur: Form a basic type set or a date set. F-12 to EF-40 grades represent good values. MS-60 to MS-63 coins are rare and are undervalued in comparison to MS-65 pieces, but even lower grade Mint State coins are expensive.

Elite Recommendations: Form a type set or date set in AU-55 or better grades for the 1796-1807 years, acquiring Mint State pieces as they become available. Later dimes, 1809-1837, can be acquired in MS-63 or better grades, as available, which is less of a problem toward the end of the date span, in the 1830s.