1804 Draped Bust Dime. JR-1. Rarity-5. 13 Stars Reverse. AU-55 Details--Scratched (ANACS).This significant rarity has passed though the hands of the most noted scholars of the early dime series and its importance has only swelled since its earliest auction appearance nearly 130 years ago. The surfaces are overall pearlescent silver with accents of champagne-gold and bronze iridescence. Traces of violet saturate the borders, working to emphasize the remaining luster at center. An old pair of parallel pinscratches passes diagonally across Libertys portrait, an inconvenient but familiar feature that has graced this piece since at least 1890. In spite of this, the complexion remains relatively pleasing, showcasing an exceptional sharpness superior to most survivors of this issue. Libertys hair is intricately defined and the eagles feathers are impressively sculpted on the reverse. <p>When offered as part of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection in June of 1890, the catalogers of the New York Stamp and Coin Co. (David Proskey and Harlan P. Smith) described this piece as "exceeding any specimen we have seen; very rare." It sold for $85, more than twice what the Proof 1804 eagle brought ($31) just five lots earlier. We first had the pleasure of handling this rarity in our (Stacks) sale of the Harold S. Bareford Collection in October 1981. In addition to an 1804 dollar, this collection featured specialized sets of half dimes and dimes, among which this piece was a noteworthy highlight. Offered in lot 149, we called it "About Uncirculated" and "one of the finest extant." <p>It is perhaps its appearance in our (Stacks) sale of the Allen F. Lovejoy Reference Collection of United States Dimes (October 1990) that is most significant to specialists. By that time this piece had already been immortalized as the plate coin for the variety in the standard reference for the series published by the John Reich Collectors Society, the "JR" book (1984). Lovejoy was one of the authors of this reference and the majority of the coins in his collection served as plate coins for this reference and would be guiding collectors in the pursuit of rare varieties for generations to come. We described this piece in lot 26 of the Lovejoy sale as "About Uncirculated...one of the two or three finest known specimens." Almost 30 years later, this assessment remains true. From the Collection of Thaddeus A. Tatum III. Earlier ex New York Coin and Stamp Co.s sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 819; J.C. Morgenthaus sale of the Howard R. Newcomb Collection, February 1945, lot 523; Norman Shultz sale of January 1949, lot 1023; our (Stacks) sale of the Harold Bareford Collection, October 1981, lot 149; our (Stacks) sale of the Allen F. Lovejoy Collection, October 1990, lot 26; RARCOAs Numisma 95 sale of the Waldo Bolen Collection, November 1995, lot 2018; our (American Numismatic Rarities) sale the Jewell Collection March 2005, lot 1595; Heritages sale of August 2007, lot 1620; Heritages sale of April 2013, lot 4176; our Chicago ANA sale of August 2013, lot 4062. Noted dime specialist Ed Price also owned this piece at one time, along with the Pittman-Pogue specimen and the James A. Stack example, both currently certified AU-55 (PCGS). This is the plate coin for the 1804 JR-1 variety in the 1984 book <em>Early United States Dimes: 1794-1837</em> by the John Reich Collectors Society.<p><p>
