Lot 2076

Natural light gray with traces of lustre. Sharply struck. Sharpness slightly finer with a small rim scrape on the reverse at 7:30, along with a few other trivial surface marks. This is considered a common variety, although in demand by date collectors and those who seek major Guide Book varieties as well as die variety specialists. The Logan Collection specimen is the finest of 25 examples recorded in the Dime Census.

Two varieties are known for the dimes dated 1828, and are easily attributed by date size. The annual coinage for this year was 125,000 coins with the 1828 dime coinage created through two obverse and two reverse dies. Three of these four dies were exclusive to 1828 while the reverse of JR-2 was IfirstI used in 1829. The Dime Book authors have concluded that 90,000 of the 1828 mintage were actually dated 1827, 35,000 were of this JR-1 mintage, and all examples of JR-2 were included in the 1829 mintage.

This is the only use of either die.

Very light obverse and light reverse clash marks are visible. Both dies were cracked. The obverse has a crack from the rim through stars 2, 3, and 4; a second crack faintly through stars 9 and 10, and a third from the border to star 13, the lowest curl, and faintly through tops of the digits. The reverse has a crack from rim to rim through the tops of NIT, another through the first E to scroll, a third through the bases of STAT, a fourth from the border through first A of AMERICA to the scroll over NU, a fifth joining the tops of ICA, a sixth connecting the bases of AME with prominent die chips at the base of M, and a seventh from the right side of this same letter to the border between M and E. These may actually represent a smaller number of die cracks and branch cracks that disappear and reappear. No wonder the Mint discontinued use of this die.

In 1828, the Mint began using a new "Closed Collar" to provide mathematical equality to the coins. Russell J. Logan was a student of the edges on our early coins and prepared an informative article "The Collar Dies of our First Mint" in Volume 13, Issue 3 of the Journal. He notes that the terms Open Collar and Closed Collar date at least back to 1836 and possibly earlier. By study of off-center, double struck, and some normally struck coins, the author concluded that the Castaing Machine was only used for lettered edges, and early reeded edge coins were produced with a collar that created the edge reeding.