8,000 Struck, Yet Totally Underrated : the 1866 Dime скачать в хорошем качестве

8,000 Struck, Yet Totally Underrated : the 1866 Dime

Hello, and welcome. I’m CoinWeek editor Charles Morgan. Today, we're going to take a numismatic journey through history. You're looking at a rare MS67 1866 Liberty Seated Dime. With its splotchy toning, this coin had been off the market for 112 years before it appeared in a 2023 Stack's Bowers sale as part of the James Allaire Millholland Collection. In my opinion, this little collection flew under the radar, even though it contained numerous top-pop and condition census pieces, all with original toning. The entire collection came to Stack's Bowers in the collector's original cabinet, and it's a shame that videos weren't made as the collection was being processed and graded. What a missed opportunity to convey what late 19th and early 20th-century coin collecting was all about. This coin sold for $7,200. Considering that's the going rate for an extra fine 1916-D Mercury Dime, we consider the price for what is either the second or third finest dime of its date to be a real bargain. So why were only 8,000 dimes struck by the Philadelphia Mint in 1866? Following the end of the Civil War, the country was flooded with greenbacks. Lincoln’s Treasury Department printed these during the war out of necessity because the Mint couldn't keep good money in circulation. With so much fiat currency flooding the market, the Mint focused its efforts on producing base coinage for the public and silver halves and gold double eagles for banks and exporters. In 1866, all silver coins except for halves got the short shrift, with dime production falling each year from 1863 to 1867. The entire 1866 business strike mintage was struck on one day: January 31, 1866. This technically means they are all "first strikes." One die marriage was responsible for all business strikes, and eventually, the dies clashed. Liberty Seated Dimes are collected by date, by date and mint, and by type. Compared to other denominations from the period, there are good values to be found in the dime series. It’s certainly worth taking a closer look when gem and superb gem examples become available.