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Lot 0726 1796 Bust 10C PCGS EF45

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Lot 0726 1796 Bust 10C PCGS EF45
A very boldly struck example of this important draped bust, small eagle Type. The central hair curls are all resplendent, as are the stars flanking the bust of Liberty. On the reverse, the eagles with its cloud and wreath arrangement is also enticingly bold for the date. The color is strictly original: light to medium silver gray without tarnish spotting or streaks. The mint act of April 2, 1792 allowed the United States government to strike cents, half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollars, silver dollars, quarter eagles, half eagles, and eagles. Most of these denominations, however, had to wait months or even years before their first examples emerged from the newly authorized Philadelphia Mint. In the particular case of the dime, this occurred in 1796 with the delivery of 22,135 pieces of the Robert Scot-John Eckstein draped bust, small eagle coins. This type has long been esteemed by numismatists because it was supplanted by the heraldic eagle series after only two years of production (1796 and 1797).

The 1796 is the more frequently offered of the two small eagle dates. All the same, it enjoys stronger collector demand as a first-year issue. There are six known die marriages of the 1796 Dime. This is JR-4. Rarity-4. A scarcer die pairing from this highly collectible premier issue, estimated to represent about 10 percent of the surviving population of 1796 Dimes. It is one of the best produced die marriages for the year and can be recognized by the tips of leaves being aligned with the edges of the A in STATES and the F in OF. Additionally, the TY in LIBERTY is joined at the top of the letters.