1829 Capped Bust Dime. JR-2. Rarity-2. Large 10C. MS-66 (PCGS).Golden bronze iridescence dominates the complexion of this example, accented by deeper sapphire colors at the borders. The devices are impressively sharp and frosty, somewhat contrasting the faint reflectivity in the fields. Lustrous and without notable abrasions, a tiny flaw in the planchet near star 2 serves as a convenient pedigree marker for tracing this piece through future cabinets. Of the 13 submissions of 1829 Large 10C dimes that have resulted in Mint State grades at PCGS, only 7 of these have been certified MS-65 or finer. The present example is certainly among the very finest known, with only the MS-67 Pogue specimen ranking higher at PCGS. In his Complete Encyclopedia, Walter Breen reported a “tiny hoard” of this variety, which he attributes to “one of Paul Revere’s descendants.” Revere, who died 11 years before this coin was struck, had 16 children, of whom 11 survived to adulthood. In 1956, when Breen estimates this group came to light, Revere’s descendants numbered in the thousands, and no evidence to support this statement has ever emerged.
