1804 10C JR-2, 14 Star Reverse MS(PCGS#38767)

June 2021 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1424

等级

VF35

价格

176,614

详细说明

Legendary Key Date 1804 Dime JR-2, 14-Star Reverse Variety From the James A. Stack Collection 1804 Draped Bust Dime. JR-2. Rarity-5. 14-Star Reverse. VF-35 (PCGS). This lovely coin was one of two 1804 JR-2 dimes offered in our (Stack's) January 1990 sale of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection. It is a richly original coin with blushes of steel-olive and rose-russet toning on a base of bold pewter-gray patina. Vivid undertones of golden-apricot and powder blue are very attractive. A tad soft along the left border on both sides, yet bold elsewhere, the surfaces are exceptionally smooth and well preserved for an early dime that saw moderate commercial use. The 1804 has the lowest mintage figure for any of the Draped Bust dimes, with 8,265 struck and delivered in June of that year. However, it is widely thought that many of the dimes reported as delivered in September of 1805 were dated 1804. As a result, a more accurate production figure is probably closer to 17,000 pieces as proposed by the authors of the standard work on the subject, Early United States Dimes 1796-1837(1984). Only two die pairings are known, both sharing the same obverse die. JR-1 uses a reverse die with 13 stars above the eagle's head while JR-2, offered here, has 14 stars on the reverse. It is this reverse die where the story is particularly interesting for students of early United States Mint operations. When the Heraldic Eagle reverse was first designed for the quarter eagle in 1796, the 13 stars above the eagle's head were arranged in straight, almost cross-like patterns, an identifying feature of dies by John Smith Gardner. In 1798, Engraver Robert Scot rearranged the stars in an arc with a single star flanking each side of the eagle's head. The older cross-patterned stars reverse dies were all retired by 1799, except for this inexplicable die with 14 stars. Because the pattern fits Gardner's design aesthetic, it is believed this die was engraved before the switch to the arc layout. When Mint employees noticed that there was an extra star, the die was apparently set aside for a rainy day. Evidently that day came in 1804 when it was put into use for both the quarter eagle and the dime. While the obverse designs were completely different, the reverses of both the Heraldic Eagle dimes and quarter eagles were the same. Furthermore, because the diameters of the two denominations were essentially identical, the Mint was able to use the reverse dies interchangeably between the two coins (there is no mark of value on the reverse die, a useful bit of cost savings for the always budget-conscious officers at the early Mint). Such is the case here with the 1804 JR-2 dime. It is not absolutely certain which came first, the dime or the quarter eagle. Since the cracks on this die were not severe, the precise sequence has not been conclusively determined. The current consensus is that this reverse die was used on the 1804 BD-2 quarter eagles first, lapped, then repurposed to coin all 1804 JR-2 dimes. If so, then the latter would be the last appearance of both the 1804-dated die obverse and the 14 stars reverse dies. The JR-2 is the rarer of the two varieties of the 1804-dated Draped Bust dime issue and, with only one single exception, is found exclusively in circulated grades. Highly coveted by numismatists for generations, acquiring any example of this variety is a noteworthy event. Provenance: From our (Stack's) sale of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, January 1990, lot 14. PCGS# 4475. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]