1814 Capped Bust Dime - STATESOF variety

A further example of this popular variety: JR-5, R-3. With the the words in the legend on the reverse cut too close so that it appears as one word. Moderately scarce (not rare) per the guides, but in demand as a Red Book variety.

I actually picked this up in a lot of 10 CBD's which also contained an 1809, an 1811/09, an 1822 (in G6), and an 1824/2. You don't see lots like that at auction anymore......

How would you grade her?

 

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I would say a solid 20 25.

 

I am much higher than you and I like your opinion.
Why do you say F12?

 

I am around F12 as well. Mostly due to the wear on the Obverse and Reverse Rim.

 

Perhaps a word of clarification: the surfaces are not grainy, so if it seems that way
on the photo is due to poor lighting, the somewhat dark toning and just poor picture taking skills.

This is an interesting one to grade: I tend to be very strict/conservative when grading my own coins, and this one does show softness around parts of the perimeter which need to be balanced out against central devices which are relatively well struck (with sharpness of VF in my opinion, or at worst, F15).

So what is the the overall grade? well, that's what I wanted to gather your opinions on.

 

Nice type 1 dime. Bust dimes always remind me of my favorite cartoon (when I was a kid of course). Do you keep it on a velvet pillow, too? ;-)


I don’t know the series well, but I’d say obv F15, rev VF20. If my understanding is correct and the obv is more important for the overall grade, then I am at F15.

 

One of the tricky parts of grading early coins like this is accounting for striking variations. For example, the parts of the rim you mention are common on these coins, and are due to an uneven strike. You have to grade the coin based on the wear it exhibits.

I'd call this coin a solid, attractive, eye appealing, and original VF-20. Very nice coin!

 

The clasp on the shoulder should be more distinct and the rim should be full in my opinion to be a VF-20. I understand what you are saying, it might be a F-15 taking into consideration the strike in My Opinion. I love the coin and would be proud to own it. Buy the coin, never the grade, because grade is subjective.

 

Thank you, physics-fan. Your explanation pretty much sums it up.
Furthermore, 1814 JR-4 is also known for weak strikes with central devices often showing flat areas due to uneven striking.

 

I think it’s a VF20, and a nice example of a popular variety. As many may know, the STATESOF reverse was used to strike more dimes in 1820 (JR-1).

According to the Early United States Dimes book, the STATESOF die was sold for scrap sometime in the 1830s. In 1962, it ended up in the hands of Robert Bashlow (of CSA restrike fame), who proceeded to take the die to Scotland, where he made several hundred impressions of the die. When he attempted to return to the United States, Customs seizes the impressions and the STATESOF die, and fined Bashlow $100. According to the book, the curator of the Smithsonian asked the Treasury agents to save the historic die, but they destroyed the die and the impressions anyway. There must not have been anything terribly earth-shattering going on in 1962, because evidently a 148 year old die was a major problem for the Federal Government....

 

After reading your grade I went and looked up some Auction results.
The rim was the only thing that I thought I missed. Doing so I found weak rims on coins going as high as 35 I believe. The central details- shield and feathers surrounding, also the heavy wear on the cheek and bust but didn't seem to flatten the lower areas under the ear and in the hair curls.

 

I'm in the F-15 camp. Not enough detail to make the VF level. I like the old, large-diameter silver coins, and used to have quite a few of the bust dimes.

 

I don't collect slabbed coins. However, this is one which I would consider slabbing at some stage, out of curiosity. See what the TPG says.

 

I sent one in like this and got VF-25. I believe this one to be VF-20

 

I would love to see a picture of it.

 

Tuff one. f12