Another Ed Price landmark.One of the prettiest dimes in the collection, toned in soft pale blue, muted champagne, and richer gold. The aesthetic appeal is beyond compare, with lustrous cartwheels on both sides to match. The fields are free of noteworthy marks, and the devices show just a dull old abrasion below Libertys ear and a shallow patch of hairlines at the upper right corner of the shield on reverse. Technically finer than the grade would suggest, with a look that surpasses most gems in the series. The obverse shows a rather involved series of die cracks, including a broad arc that begins at the rim above the left side of Y, touches the tip of Libertys nose, and rejoins the rim beyond stars 11 and 12. Another points from Libertys chin into the field, near the visible remnant of a clashing, and still another connects the stars at left. The wing on the left side of the eagle is broken at its tip and joined to the rim. An exquisite property.The reverse die of this marriage was used once previously, as the reverse of a 1798 quarter eagle (Bass-Dannreuther 2), and after this combination was used to strike most 1800 dimes. The obverse die was only used in this variety, though, and the present coin is considered the very finest example of the late die state. PCGS lists a few higher graded examples of this variety, these being earlier states.
