1796 Draped Bust Dime. JR-1. Rarity-3. AU Details--Tooled (PCGS).A lovely example of this first-year issue with considerable Mint luster blanketing the surfaces. The complexion is largely brilliant and untoned, accented by faint pastel iridescence in the fields. Magnification reveals concentrated scratches near the D in UNITED, but these go largely unnoticed to the naked eye. Desirable and attractive despite the minor impairment. <p><p>The Draped Bust, Small Eagle dime was produced for only two years, and then only in modest quantities. Struck from at least six known die marriages, the first 1796 dimes were delivered on January 18, 1796, the mintage eventually topping out at a published figure of 22,135 pieces in all. The JR-1 variety, offered here, is one of the more easily recognizable of the known die pairs thanks to the presence of a prominent cud break on the obverse at star 1. Despite being one of the more readily available varieties, it is still quite a scarce coin by any measure. Above the VF level this issue becomes particularly challenging, sharp About Uncirculated coins such as this are especially scarce.PCGS# 4461. NGC ID: 236B.
