1822 Capped Bust Dime

The story of the 1822

Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1822. Only 100,000 were made, against 1.2 million the year before. That drop is why the 1822 is the one people look for. The next year it made 440,000 (1823).

No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1822 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1824 (100,000) and the 1828 (125,000).

Only the 1809 and the 1811 have a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 20 Capped Bust Dimes. No Capped Bust Dime of the 1820s had a smaller run.

More on the 1822

The 1822 is the key of the large size Capped Bust dimes. Mint records show 100,000 struck, less than a tenth of the previous year's 1,186,512. The reason for the drop is not recorded, but the result is clear: the 1822 is rare in every grade and a significant rarity even when well worn.

Most survivors are in low grades, often with damage or old cleaning. A sharp, original 1822 is a major find. Because of its fame, altered dates are a concern, since a more common date could be tooled to read 1822. Compare your coin with images of certified examples, check the last two digits under a strong glass and look for tool marks or disturbed metal around the date. Weight helps as well: a genuine coin is close to 2.70 grams. The 1822 is also a date that dealers and collectors watch closely, so any example worth keeping should be authenticated by a grading service before it is bought or sold.

A long gap and the 1822 (1815 to 1822)

After 1814 the Mint struck no dimes for five years. Foreign silver coins served as small change and depositors wanted half dollars instead. Dime production returned in 1820 with 942,587 coins, the largest total to that date. Like the 1814, the 1820 includes a STATESOFAMERICA variety where the words of the legend run together.

Philadelphia struck 1,186,512 dimes in 1821, the first dime mintage above one million. Then the total fell to just 100,000 in 1822, the key of the large size years. The 1822 is rare in every grade and a significant rarity even when worn.

Dimes of this period still have the open collar look: the rims vary in width and the denticles around the edge are long and uneven. Stars and date digits were punched into each die by hand, so their size and spacing vary from die to die. Collectors attribute the varieties by JR numbers. For an 1822, check the date carefully under magnification. An 1820 or 1821 is much more available and a good way to own an early Capped Bust dime. Proofs of a few dates of the 1820s were struck in tiny numbers, probably as presentation pieces. Only a handful exist. The gap from 1815 to 1819 is the longest break in dime production of the Capped Bust years. Check the reverse spacing and the edge reeding too.