Is the 1795 half dime really a half dime (or is it a dime)?
braddick
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peacockcoins
9
braddick
Posts: 24,466 ✭✭✭✭✭
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There are no known 1795 US dimes. The dimes start in 1796 with Draped Bust.
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts
Well, now I feel dumb. I'm going to leave this here, though. (Good learning experience.)
That half disme sure looks like the size of a dime, though!
peacockcoins
It looked large to me, too - so I looked it up!
Such a cool set. Did you acquire those all together or at different times?
Pretty sure that’s on eBay, the Ana holders stand out
11.5$ Southern Dollars, The little “Big Easy” set
Lovely group of coins, wow.👍
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
It’s such a a great looking set! It would be great for someone here to pick it up!
I'm in 😎
there are a few issues of 5c, 10c and 25c that can be quite misleading from the 18th and early 19th century. in many images, where there is no denom listed, it takes me a minute sometimes to figure which denom it is.
The 1795 half dime has the weight and fineness of a half dime according to the Coinage Act of 1792, so it is definitely a half dime. Of course the coin has no markings on it which indicates its face value.
I have wondered why the mint went out of its way to make half dimes in 1795. The silver dollar was the coin of choice for those who deposited silver at the mint for conversion into U.S. coins. When the mint could not supply dollars because it did not have a press that was big enough to make them properly, the half dollar became the second choice.
I believe that the mint made the half dimes to satisfy the limited demand for them and to "make change" for the odd amount that was left of the silver consignments. In other words, if your silver consignment came to $150.45. You got back 150 dollars or 300 half dollars plus nine half dimes.
And BTW, congratulations upon the completing the Flowing Hair silver type coin set!
As always Bill your explanations make wonderful sense. The new Mint needed small change to conduct business. Look at the new SF mint in 1854. Lots of $10’s and $20’s, plus token coinages of $2-1/2’s and $5’s for settling deposits.
I am sure it has probably been mentioned before, but I am old
Why were denominations not on coins during that period?? I think they were easily recognized, but not sure if there were other factors. Cheers, RickO
The early half dimes (or half dismes, as they were probably described at the time) were slightly thinner with a larger diameter than the later half dimes.
You also need to get a flowing hair "quarter" like the one @BustDMs showed us https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/12639339
(One of the few coins that makes me a bit envious ...)
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association