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The first United States 10-cent coins, or dimes, were minted in 1796.
The word "dime" is from the French word "disme", meaning "decimal". The Draped Bust design was
first employed on the dime, as it was the
standard for all silver coins beginning that year. For a couple of
years, a smallish eagle atop a cloud was depicted on the reverse.
In
1798, the small eagle was replaced by a larger eagle with the Union Shield
across its breast. This "Heraldic Eagle" met with more favor from the
public, for it presented a much more powerful symbol of the United States.
The number of stars on the reverse created several varieties of the Draped
Bust dime. The plan at first was to add another star for every new state
joining the Union, but by the time the 16th star was added, the field had
become so crowded, that Mint Director Elias Boudinot limited the number of
stars to 13, representing the number of original colonies. Production of
the Draped Bust dime continued until 1807.
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Draped Bust Dime
Small Eagle Specifications |
Diameter: |
Weight: |
Minted: |
Composition: |
Designer |
Edge: |
approx 19.0 mm |
2.70 g |
1796-1797 |
.1024 Cu .8924
Ag |
Robert Scot |
Reeded |
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Coin Photos courtesy of
Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA. |
No dimes were minted in
1808. The following year, the
Capped Bust design was introduced.
There are many overdates and other varieties to study, many of them available
in plentiful quantities. In 1828, new technology was implemented at the
Mint to create edge reeding during the striking action, while utilizing
thicker, smaller diameter planchets. The results were improved diameter
consistency and higher productivity, as the tedious job of manually applying
the reeding was eliminated. Another benefit was that the coins were
easier to stack.
The Capped Bust dime was finally discontinued in
1837. Together, with the Draped Bust dime, United States numismatists
have categorized these types as the "Early Dimes."
Draped Bust dimes are all relatively rare, costing at least hundreds of dollars for an
example in heavily worn condition. They've all advanced fairly
consistently in value over time, but the 1796 first year issue and the 1798/97
13 stars variety seem to edge out the others in performance. A collector
really can't go wrong by acquiring these or any other Draped Bust dime, just
don't expect any explosive growth headline news anytime soon. The Capped
Bust series has a couple of scarcities, but our research shows these to be
sluggish movers, and should be avoided if strong prices surges is your
objective. There are plenty of other
exciting coins from America's past with better prospects of appreciation to
target.
As always, don't buy
Early Dimes unless they've been certified by PCGS, NGC, ANACS, or ICG, or are being sold
by a reputable dealer, such as
Jakes Marketplace.
Key date Early Dimes are offered for sale below
as eBay auction coins. The left
hand side of each "Sales Box" is value trend data over a very long period of
time for the dime in G-4 condition. The percent annual
increase is computed for comparative purposes. The coin pictured for
sale in the right hand side is not necessarily the same condition coin as that
represented in the value trend analysis on left hand side.
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1796
Draped Bust Dime
Condition: G-4
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1798/97
Dr Bust Dime 13st
Condition: G-4
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Value Trends
1950: $20.00
1980: $625
1995: $900
2003: $1250
2007: $1500
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Value Trends
1950: $30.00
1980: $650
1995: $1650
2003: $2000
2007: $2000
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.87%
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% Annual Increase
Since 1950 =
7.65%
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Half Cents
1793-1857 |
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Large Cents
1793-1857 |
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Flying Eagle Cents
1856-1858 |
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Indian Head Cents
1859-1909 |
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Lincoln Cents
1909-present |
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Two and Three
Cents 1851-1889 |
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Shield Nickels
1866-1883 |
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Liberty Nickels
1883-1913 |
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Buffalo Nickels
1913-1938 |
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Jefferson Nickels 1938-present |
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Early Half Dimes
1792-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Half Dimes 1837-1873 |
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Early Dimes
1796-1837 |
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Seated Liberty Dimes 1837-1891 |
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Barber Dimes
1892-1916 |
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Mercury Dimes
1916-1945 |
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Roosevelt Dimes 1946-present |
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Twenty Cents
1875-1878 |
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Early Quarters
1796-1838 |
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Seated Liberty Quarters 1838-1891 |
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Barber Quarters
1892-1916 |
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Standing Liberty
Quarters 1916-1930 |
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Washington
Quarters 1932-present |
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Early Half Dollars
1794-1839 |
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Seated Liberty
Half Dollars 1839-1891 |
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Barber Half
Dollars 1892-1915 |
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Walking Liberty
Half Dollars 1916-1947 |
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Franklin Half
Dollars 1948-1963 |
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Kennedy Half Dollars 1964-Present |
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Early Dollars
1794-1804 |
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Gobrecht Dollars 1836-1839 |
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Seated Liberty Dollars 1840-1873 |
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Trade Dollars
1873-1885 |
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Morgan Dollars
1878-1921 |
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Peace Dollars
1921-1935 |
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Eisenhower Dollars
1971-1978 |
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Anthony Dollars
1979-1981,1999 |
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Sacagawea Dollars
2000-present |
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Presidential Dollars
2007-present |
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Gold Dollars
1849-1889 |
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Early Quarter Eagles 1796-1834 |
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Classic Head Quarter Eagles 1834-1839 |
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Coronet Quarter
Eagles 1840-1907 |
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Indian Head
Quarter Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Three Dollar Gold
1854-1889 |
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Early Half Eagles
1795-1834 |
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Classic Head Half Eagles 1834-1838 |
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Coronet Half
Eagles 1839-1908 |
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Indian Head Half
Eagles 1908-1929 |
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Early Eagles
1795-1804 |
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Coronet Eagles
1838-1907 |
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Indian Head Eagles
1907-1933 |
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Coronet Double
Eagles 1849-1907 |
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St-Gaudens Double
Eagles 1907-1933 |
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The 1798 8 over 7 is a typical overdate found
in early US coinage. An overdate is defined as an impression made by
superimposing another date (i.e. year) digit over a date digit of a die used
in an earlier year. The result is a coin bearing the “new” date, but under
close examination, the “old” date is faintly visible. Overdates were
relatively common at the first US Mint; because of the dearth of coining
resources, workable dies left over from a previous year were often overdated
for use the following year. |
