“JR-1 exhibits rim crumbling between Stars 3 to 6 and was struck both before and after JR-3, producing the series’ first remarriage.” — Bust Dime Variety Identification Guide, 2015 Reflective on both sides, the obverse features bright blue peripheral toning surrounding violet and gold fields around a brilliant center, while the reverse is pale gold with ovals of pastel blue. The central detail is impressive, with each strand of Liberty’s hair and each feather of the eagle well-defined. The talons are a bit flat and the denticles are not well defined everywhere, with particular softness on the left side of the obverse also affecting the star centers there. The eye appeal is excellent, with few flaws of any level of importance. A tiny natural chip is seen in the field below the drapery and above the right side of the 8 in the date, as struck. A careful examination will find some minor hairlines, a tiny field nick above the top ribbon end in the right obverse field, and a very thin hairline scratch above TES of STATES on the reverse. This die state represents the earliest known remarriage in the Capped Bust dime series. The reverse seen here saw its first use in the JR-1 marriage and its second in the JR-3 marriage. While it was unbroken when it began its second combination, late die state JR-3s show essentially the same late die state seen here, with a large arc crack from a denticle above the final A of AMERICA, through the top arrow’s point and the middles of the two arrowheads below, across the C to a denticle left of that letter. After being broken, it was remarried to Obverse 1 of 1825, producing a JR-1 like this one that is both later than early die state JR-1s and later than all JR-3s. In this state, the obverse shows significant rim crumbling above stars 5 and 6, broken to the outermost point of star 5, damage to the die that is not seen on early state examples of the variety. The reverse has suffered both clashing and lapping, with evidence of three clashes seen at the base of the wing right of the eagle and some vestiges above the wing left of the eagle and above the eagle’s head. Most of the die clash has been removed by lapping, which has also thinned the detail outside the lower left of the shield and among the olive branch. A large bulge, evidence of a depression on the die face, surrounds NITE. The A in STATES is broadly repunched, as seen on all specimens from this die regardless of die state. Breen’s Proof coin Encyclopedia suggests that he saw an example of this variety (“Wide date, 1 high”) “in the 1950s, not now traced.” While no Proof examples of these dies are rumored in modern times, and Breen’s pre-JR book identification of Capped Bust dime varieties is suspect enough that he could have been referring to JR-4, light surface reflectivity does seem to be typical among high grade survivors of this variety. One early appearance of this die marriage was lot 1929 from the January 1890 R. Coulton Davis sale, conducted by New York Coin and Stamp Company, described as “three stars rounded l[eft]., otherwise sharp perfect proof.” Struck from the same die state as this coin, the piece has not been traced in modern times, but its surfaces probably look a lot like those on this specimen. Scarce in all grades, the 1825 JR-1 is a rarity in Mint State. The JR book indicates “very few are in EF-45 or better grades.” The data collected for the 2009 Horning census supports this, counting 14 discrete specimens in major variety collections of dimes, of which six were better than Very Fine. Only one was in Mint State, the JR plate coin. This example undoubtedly ranks among the finest known. PCGS# 4503. NGC ID: 2374.
