1811 Capped Bust Dime

The story of the 1811

Philadelphia hadn't struck the Capped Bust Dime since 1809. When it came back in 1811, it made 65,180. After that, Philadelphia didn't make another until 1814.

No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1811 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1809 (51,065) and the 1822 (100,000).

Only the 1809 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 20 Capped Bust Dimes.

More on the 1811

Every 1811 dime is an overdate. The Mint took an unused obverse die dated 1809 and punched the digits 11 over the 09. Under a magnifier you can see parts of the 0 and 9 around the final 11. Mint records show 65,180 delivered, only a little more than in 1809. No dimes were made in the year before or in the two years after.

Spanish and Mexican reales still did much of the work of small change in these years and depositors of silver asked mainly for half dollars. The overdate is not a variety you need to hunt for: if you have an 1811, it is an 1811/09. It ranks with the 1809 and the 1822 among the keys of the type and is a significant rarity in any grade. Check the date area first, then the reverse legend and the eagle's feathers. Open collar coins of this period often show uneven rims, which are normal and not a sign of a fake.

John Reich's dime arrives (1809 to 1814)

No dimes were struck in 1808. In 1809 Assistant Engraver John Reich's Capped Bust design appeared. Liberty wears a cloth cap with a band reading LIBERTY. On the reverse an eagle with a shield holds an olive branch and three arrows, with E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above. For the first time a dime carried its value, 10 C. The coin was struck on a screw press in an open collar, so it measures about 18.8 millimeters across.

Mintages were small. Philadelphia struck 51,065 dimes in 1809, the first year and a key date. None were made in 1810. The 65,180 coins of 1811 were all struck from an old die with the date 1811 punched over 1809. No dimes were made in 1812 or 1813. Production jumped in 1814 to 421,500. The 1814 comes in Small Date and Large Date forms and in a variety where the words run together as STATESOFAMERICA on the reverse.

Spanish and Mexican silver coins still circulated widely and depositors of silver at the Mint usually asked for larger coins, which explains the gaps. For a dime of these years, check the date carefully. On an 1811 you should see traces of the 09 under the 11. On an 1814 read the reverse legend for spacing. Survivors are usually worn and many have been cleaned.