Capped Bust Dime Value Chart: Every Date From 1809 to 1837

The dates to check first

These are the lowest-mintage Capped Bust dimes struck for circulation. If you're sorting a jar or an inherited collection, pull these dates out before anything else and check the mint mark carefully.

1. 1809 Capped Bust Dime: 51,065 made.
2. 1811 Capped Bust Dime: 65,180 made.
3. 1822 Capped Bust Dime: 100,000 made.
4. 1824 Capped Bust Dime: 100,000 made.
5. 1828 Capped Bust Dime: 125,000 made.
6. 1837 Capped Bust Dime: 359,500 made.

Every capped bust dime by date and mint

Click any date for its full page: how many were made, the mint mark location, varieties and what to check. Mint marks matter: the same year can be common from one mint and scarce from another.

The series in 5 stages

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.

A long gap and the 1822 (1815 to 1822)

After 1814 the Mint struck no dimes for five years. Foreign silver coins served as small change and depositors wanted half dollars instead. Dime production returned in 1820 with 942,587 coins, the largest total to that date. Like the 1814, the 1820 includes a STATESOFAMERICA variety where the words of the legend run together.

Overdates and a million-coin year (1823 to 1827)

The Mint reused old dies by repunching the date. Every 1823 dime shows a 3 over a 2. A total of 440,000 were struck. Small E and Large E versions exist on the reverse. Every 1824 dime shows a 4 over a 2. Mint records lump the dimes of 1824 and 1825 together at 510,000, which references divide as about 100,000 for 1824 and 410,000 for 1825.

The close collar and a smaller dime (1828 to 1831)

In 1828 the Mint began striking dimes in a close collar, a steel ring that held the planchet as it was struck. The collar formed the reeded edge and gave every coin the same diameter. The new dimes are smaller and a bit thicker, about 18.5 millimeters across, with a raised rim and a row of small beads inside it. The design itself stayed the same, with the motto still on the reverse.

Steady output and the end of the type (1832 to 1837)

The reduced size dime settled into a steady rhythm. Philadelphia struck 522,500 in 1832, 485,000 in 1833 and 635,000 in 1834. The 1833 includes a Last 3 High variety, where the final digit sits higher than the others. The 1834 comes with Small 4 and Large 4. Production then reached its highest point, with 1,410,000 in 1835 and 1,190,000 in 1836.

Decade by decade

• 1800s: 1 issues, 51,065 coins. Scarcest: 1809 (51,065).
• 1810s: 2 issues, 486,680 coins. Scarcest: 1811 (65,180).
• 1820s: 9 issues, 5.3 million coins. Scarcest: 1822 (100,000).
• 1830s: 8 issues, 5.9 million coins. Scarcest: 1837 (359,500).

Where to find the mint mark

• 1809 to 1837: No mint mark. Every Capped Bust dime was struck in Philadelphia.

Identifying and grading Capped Bust dimes

Check the curls around Liberty's face and the band of her cap, then the eagle's wing feathers and the claws.

Liberty faces left wearing a soft cloth cap, often called a mob cap, with a band across it reading LIBERTY. Curls fall from under the cap down her neck and a clasp holds drapery at her shoulder. Thirteen stars surround her, seven on the left and six on the right, with the date below. The reverse shows an eagle with a shield on its breast and partly raised wings. It holds an olive branch and three arrows, with E PLURIBUS UNUM on a scroll above its head. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs around the top and the value 10 C. sits below. Dimes of 1809 to 1827 and some of 1828 have long denticles and wide, uneven rims. Later coins are smaller, about 18.5 millimeters, with a raised rim and a ring of small beads.

What the value bands mean

• Face value: worth its face in worn condition; only uncirculated coins and varieties carry a premium.
• Metal value: worth its silver content in worn condition.
• Small premium: sells for a little over face or metal value even when worn.
• Collector premium: scarcer than usual, so worn coins sell well above face or metal value.
• Significant rarity: a key date, valuable in any condition and often faked.

Bands describe a coin in ordinary circulated condition. An uncirculated coin with full original luster sits a band or more higher. Recognized varieties can be worth far more than the date itself.