1821 10C JR-10, Small Date AU58 Certification #32607017, PCGS #38800

Ron Guth

The 1821 Small Date Dime resulted from an interesting slip-up at the Mint.  Instead of using the normal date punch for a Dime, the engraver picked up the date punch for a Quarter Eagle (the smallest-sized coin made in 1821).  The result is an 1821 Dime with a date that is much smaller than normal, and which has a flat-base 2 instead of the usual curl-base.  Surprisingly, three different obverse dies (out of eight) were made with the small date, resulting in three die varieties (LM-8, LM-9, and LM-10).

Of the three 1821 Small Date varieties, the JR-10 is the least common, but only by a small margin.  In 1984 suggested the possibility that three Mint State examples of this variety existed, but the number may be higher today.  The finest example appears to be a single PCGS MS64.

Sources and/or recommended reading:
David J. Davis et al. Early United States Dime 1796-1837 (Ypsilanti, MI: John Reich Collectors Society, 1984).