Money -> Coins-US -> Dimes
You might think a half dime is simply a modern nickel. But half dimes were actually silver coins worth 5 cents that were minted before the coins that eventually became our modern nickels. They were authorized in 1792, much smaller than the dimes of the time and much thinner, giving them the actual appearance of being almost half a dime. When lobbyists fought to have nickel included in the creation of new coins in the 1860s, the new three- and five-cent coins pushed out the older silver coins so the original half dimes were last minted in 1873.
The US half dime was minted from 1794 to 1873, and was one of the original coins minted in the United States. The first design is known as the Flowing Hair design because of the Liberty’s flowing hair, but was only struck for 2 years before being changed to the Draped Bust, Small Eagle design. This design also lasted for only 2 years, before half dime minting stopped and wasn’t resumed against until 1800. This design was known as the Large Eagle design, with the Great Seal of the United States appearing on the reverse of the coin. These were struck until 1805, and then no more were minted until 1829.
The half dime that returned in 1829 now bore the words “five cents” instead of half dime. The design appearing on this coin lasted until 1837, when a Seated Liberty design once again bearing the words half dime was minted. New minting in 1837 saw the silver content lessen, though the coins remained the same size. In 1840 the design was changed to include drapery and stars, and wasn’t changed again significantly after that. After the Civil War in 1866, nickel-based 5-cent coins were circulated at the same time as silver half dimes but 1873 saw the last half dimes minted to make way for the 5-cent coins.
Of all the half dimes available today, the 1802 Draped Bust, Heraldic Eagle is one of the most rare and collectible. Only a little over 13,000 of them were struck, but only about 16 are known to exist today. The half dime is still an interesting conversation piece, aside from its collector and real-world value.
Because the silver content of the half dime dropped long before minting stopped, people tended to try to acquire the earlier half dimes so more of the newer coins were struck to replace them. The most valuable coins are the earlier ones with higher silver content, though some were actually minted without the name of the country because of a die problem, and these are valuable novelties for coin collectors.
The half dime is a fairly rare coin so the best places to find one in good condition are places like eBay where a huge variety of sellers can present their items. The best way to find the value of a coin is to consult a coin guide, and compare that to the most recent information you can find online.
Originally posted 2008-12-07 14:00:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Wheat Penny Money -> Small-Cents -> Lincoln-Wheat-1909-1958 Probably one of the easiest coins to acquire for a coin collection is the wheat penny. This coin was a United States penny minted from 1909 to 1958. The coin goes by many names, including the Lincoln Wheat Cent and Wheatie, and was worth 1...... -
Finding Out if You Have Coins with Value All coin collectors will want to completely understand the value of their coin collection and will want to know if they have coins with value. Even those who do not want to sell their collection are going to want to work to understand their values of the purpose of insurance...... -
Coin Collecting at Coin Shows There are a couple of different ways that you can approach coin collecting. Most people are going to look to the Internet or look to local coin collecting shops as they work to expand their coin collection. What many fail to realize is that coin collecting at coin shows is...... -
1902 Barber Dime Money -> Dimes -> Barber-1892-1916 The value of a 1902 Barber dime varies, depending mostly on the condition of the dime. While the face value may be only 10 cents, they’re often worth several dollars—sometimes hundreds of dollars. The best way to determine the value of your Barber dime is...... -
Silver Bullion Coins Coins & Paper Money -> Bullion -> Silver People buy silver bullion coins for a few different reasons. Some buy them because of the precious metal content as an investment and buffer against inflation. Some people buy them because they fear that one day our popular currency will become worthless,......
Related Websites -
The Booty Offered from English Coins There have been many different coins which have been created and used by the English government. These coins span the years for some with a very short run for others. It is easy to see why the coins in England have such a high value when exchanged across the pond....... -
Determining the Value of Rare Coins Rare coins are often the most sought after coins for collectors of all types. While they may not focus on rare coins for their coin collections, they will look for them as they search through various coin collector shops. One of the most important things to think about when looking...... -
The 3 Reasons why Mint Collectible Coins Are Valuable The Sheldon grading scale is by and large the most used grading scale for dealing with collecting coins. The top of the grading scale is reserved for those coins which can hold the status of being in mint state. These coins are the most valuable of all of the coins...... -
4 Good Things to Know About Canadian Coin Collecting Each country has coins which are collectable and rare for a variety of reasons. Each coin has a story and a legacy to it which tells part of a national history of a country. This is true of collectable and rare Canadian coins. Those who enjoy Canadian coin collecting have...... -
Coin Collecting: The Hunt for the Coin The biggest thrill of coin collecting comes in the form of the actual hunt and chase for the coin itself. There are plenty of coin collectors who thrive on the thrill of the chase, spending hours upon hours looking for one particular coin. There is plenty of excitement and joy......
- Swiss Foreign Silver Silver Bullion Coins & Paper Money
- Rare Fruit/Flowering Trees Plants, Seeds & Bulbs Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Mint Bars, Rounds Silver Bullion Coins & Paper Money
- 1988 American Eagle Silver Bullion Coins & Paper Money
- Prospector Bars, Rounds Silver Bullion Coins & Paper Money
