My big FUN show purchase – A 1797 16 Star Dime

Years ago I owned a 1797, 16 star dime. I sold the piece when I bought an upgrade for the type. A few months ago I bid on a 1797, 16 star dime in a similar grade to the one I had sold, but didn’t get it. I found out that a dealer had bought it. He and I met at the FUN show, and we agreed on a price. The grade is PCGS VF-25.



This dime offers some interesting insights into the workings of the first United States Mint. Quality steel for coin dies was in short supply, and sometimes the mint used subpar quality metal to get by.

The big die break above the date is on all of the known pieces. The die probably broke during the hardening process. Since the date area didn’t fall off the die entirely, the mint personnel used it. Gradually over time the die sank more and more until the date disappeared.



I found this picture of the terminal or near terminal die state on the Internet some years ago.


There was also the matter of squeezing 16 stars on the obverse. Tennessee had just become a state, and the mint had the idea of adding a star each time a new state joined the Union. The die sinker, probably Robert Scot, cut little hash marks which still show in some places to help space the stars.



After this the mint personnel realized that they didn’t have room for any more stars. They cut back to 13 which represented the original 13 states. This represents some of the fun aspects of collecting early U.S. coins.

This dime is fairly scarce. There are probably fewer than 200 of them in all grades, which go up to MS-65. The coin does not appear very frequently, even in the major auctions.

 

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Love that dime. I love die breaks and cuds and own many half dimes with them. They give us lots of insight into the early mint operation.

I also bought a 1797 16 Star at FUN but mine was a half dime, the LM-2 variety, an R-4. Been on my list for some time and had my pick from a handful at the show.

 

You two are pulling out some very esoteric, very interesting, and very expensive coins. I love it!

 

I have been a "nut" about early half dimes since I was in high school. The trouble is I could not afford them. When I got my first job out of college, the early half dimes became one of my first purchases. I have owned this one for quite a few years.



The 16 star obverse comes with two reverses. The above never shows the feather detail on the eagle, no matter the grade. I call this the "small eagle."

The "big eagle" has a lot more detail.

 

Nice coin, JM....and a great talk on $5 Half Eagles @ FUN 2026.

 

Not being familiar to this denomination, how would one know the difference between the coins w/o a number struck on it?

 

The half dime is half the weight and has a diameter of 16.5 mm versus 19 mm for the dime.

The only silver coins with a value on the face of the piece was “25 C.” on the reverse of the heraldic reverse and “1/2” on the reverse of the small eagle half dollar. The gold coins had no marks of value. They traded by weight. Values were on the edge of half dollar and silver dollar.

 

I see but it's only 2.5 mm difference. I guess you have to physically see them in hand. Very interesting. When were denominations added on these Silver pieces?

 

@johnmilton That's a stunning coin. Glad you got it and thanks for posting it!

 

When John Reich became an assistant engraver at the mint, he added values to his designs starting in 1807 with the half dollar.

 

Very nice piece!

 

Dang @johnmilton your coin collection is amazing and the education you give on our forum is amazing as well, much appreciated!

 

This individual, under various names on various forums and in person, has shown me such incredible coins, and told so many incredible stories. He is truly one of the people I look up to in this hobby. His depth of experience, wealth of knowledge, and trove of treasure is incredible.

 

Ok, I'm jealous. Congrats.