1814 Capped Bust Dime. "STATESOFAMERICA". PCGS graded Fine-12 In special PCGS Ship of Gold holder which contains One Pinch of Gold Dust recovered from the S.S. Central America treasure.<BR>Special PCGS number 802036.12/38277435. JR-5, Rarity-4. This is the most popular and scarcest of the five die pairings used to strike dimes in 1814. Upon examining the reverse the run together STATESOFAMERICA is clear where the engraver blundered the spacing on that die. Curiously this same reverse die was put back into the die box in 1814 and came out again in 1820 when dimes were again struck! This particular coin tells us a lot about its use, with some old scratches and handling marks from circulation. It is noteworthy that it still was in Fine condition when this and many other dimes left on that fateful voyage on the <I>S.S. Central America</I> ship in 1857 and then lost on the bottom of the ocean for 140 or so years. It is remarkable that a coin like has served its intended purpose in the channels of commerce for 43 years before ending up on that shipwreck. The toning is a bit mottled with gold and russet shades mixed with some blue color. The only example graded at PCGS for the <I>S.S. Central America</I> Series. <DOTLEADER> Estimated Value $1,000 - UP <I><BR>Ex S.S. Central America, 2014 Recovery from Pursers Safe.</I>
