Soft cartwheels of satiny luster cross each side of this starless gem. Swaths of pale rose at the centers give way to violet, teal and saffron at the peripheries. The obverse rim has well protected the pristine surfaces within, though traces of handling hide in the left field. A thin hairline divides the letters AT of STATES on the otherwise exceptional reverse.Echoing the half dimes of the same year, the date logotype was made smaller partway through 1837, a change readily distinguished by the rounded top to the 3. Contemporary interest in the new dimes had largely subsided by this time and Small Date survivors remain roughly twice as scarce as Large Date coins, especially in high grades. The Small Date issue was struck using two distinct obverses employed in a trio of die marriages, with Fortin-102 among the only varieties of the year to feature nearly perfect die rotation. Among the finest known examples of the Small Date variety, PCGS has graded only a single specimen finer, the Jim ONeal MS-66+.
