1824 Capped Bust Dime

The story of the 1824

Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1824. Only 100,000 were made, against 440,000 the year before. That drop is why the 1824 is the one people look for. The next year it made 410,000 (1825).

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

Philadelphia struck the Capped Bust Dime in 20 issues between 1809 and 1837. By mintage this one lands in the scarcer half, while the key for that mint is the 1809 (51,065). Among the 1820s issues, only the 1822 had a smaller run.

More on the 1824

Every 1824 dime shows a 4 over a 2, made by repunching an old die dated 1822. Mint records do not separate the dimes of 1824 and 1825. They give a single figure of 510,000 for both years. References assign about 100,000 to 1824 and 410,000 to 1825, which makes the 1824/2 one of the scarcer dates of the type.

The overdate is usually visible with a magnifier, with traces of the 2 inside and around the 4. Because 1822 dies were reused in both 1823 and 1824, the Mint's thrift left collectors two overdates in a row. Survivors are mostly worn. When you check an 1824, look first at the date, then at the cap band and the eagle's wing feathers to judge wear. Old cleaning and scratches are common. Since the split of the mintage is an estimate, collectors judge the scarcity of the 1824/2 more by how often it appears than by the record.

Overdates and a million-coin year (1823 to 1827)

The Mint reused old dies by repunching the date. Every 1823 dime shows a 3 over a 2. A total of 440,000 were struck. Small E and Large E versions exist on the reverse. Every 1824 dime shows a 4 over a 2. Mint records lump the dimes of 1824 and 1825 together at 510,000, which references divide as about 100,000 for 1824 and 410,000 for 1825.

No dimes are dated 1826. In 1827 the Mint made 1,215,000, a high total for the time and the last big year of the large size design. Philadelphia was the only mint striking dimes at the time. The 1827 is one of the more available Capped Bust dimes and often turns up in collections as a type coin. Even so, many Americans of the time rarely handled a dime. Spanish reales and half reales still made up much of their small change.

Overdates are easy to spot when the coin is not too worn. Look at the last digit under a magnifier for the curve of the 2 behind the 3 or the 4. Survivors of this period are mostly circulated, often cleaned and sometimes holed. William Kneass became Chief Engraver in these years and later changed the dime's size, so these are among the last dimes struck the old way in an open collar.