Interesting Facts About Early U.S. Type Dimes:
-- Until the early 20th century, most U.S. silver coin denominations carried the same (or very similar) Liberty engraving of the day. But the 1809-1837 dime's "Capped Bust Liberty" was distinctly different from the quarter and half dollar types of the time (also note its "10 C." denomination on the reverse side).
-- Christian Gobrecht's majestic "Seated Liberty" engraving appeared on the dime and five other U.S. denominations -- the half dime, 20 cent piece and dollar. That's a record for any U.S. coin engraving.
-- "Seated Liberty" dime mintages were generally much lower than Liberty Head silver dimes -- and vastly lower than later 20th century types. Even in their own day, Seated Liberty silver dimes were relatively scarce.
-- Charles E. Barber's "Liberty Head" engraving is regarded as one of the most elegant classical U.S. coin designs. It was the last design in U.S. minting to be used on more than one denomination.
-- In the heyday of the dime store, the "Liberty Head" dime was a real workhorse in U.S. commerce. At the time, a 90% silver dime could buy one of hundreds of useful items that today might cost vastly more.
-- There were never enough "Liberty Head" dimes to go around. Today, in just one year, the U.S. Mint issues several times the number of dimes than were issued in the entire 25-year span of the Liberty Head dime series!
-- The reverse of the "Liberty Head" dime is unique, displaying the nation's agricultural staples of corn, cotton, tobacco and wheat. When this classic coin was first issued, America was still predominantly an agricultural society. |
